The mothership of Earth Day festivals is back in action this weekend at Alameda Park. While the “official” Earth Day is April 22, we need a whole weekend (at least) to celebrate here in Santa Barbara!
The 54th Santa Barbara Earth Day Festival takes place April 27-28, and the entire community is invited to come outside and connect with climate-forward businesses and organizations, engage in climate-focused educational activities, hear from dozens of speakers on a variety of environmental topics, savor locally sourced, climate-friendly food and beverage, and enjoy live music.
Best of all, it’s all FREE for attendees.
Widely acknowledged as the birthplace of Earth Day, Santa Barbara’s involvement began with the devastating 1969 oil spill off its coast. It was during that time, after a visit to Santa Barbara, that Senator Gaylord Nelson introduced the bill that made Earth Day a national day to celebrate the earth. Shortly after that, the Community Environmental Council (CEC) incorporated in Santa Barbara in the spring of 1970 and its first act as a new nonprofit was to hold an Earth Day celebration – a one block long teach-in between State Street and Chapala Street along Anapamu.
That event has since grown to become one of the longest-running Earth Day celebrations in the country, and one of the largest on the West Coast, attracting tens of thousands of community members each year.
The 2024 CEC Environmental Hero Award will be presented on Sunday at noon to Alejandra Warren, the co-founder and Executive Director of Plastic Free Future (PFF), a California-based nonprofit committed to the reduction and elimination of plastic pollution through promoting reusable alternatives, with a focus on outreach to underserved and systematically excluded communities.
The Sunday hero ceremony will also give the annual Explore Ecology Awards to the Clean and Green Club at Vieja Valley and Ocean Guardians at Kellogg; as well as individual awards to students Margo Leven and Moxi McLeod (K to 6th), and Gio Alfaro and Ethan Maday (7th to 12th); and to teachers, Teri Briggs and Lori Leach (K to 6th) and Jennifer Rasmussen (7th to 12th).
Santa Barbara Earth Day also features the longest running Green Car Show in the U.S. with the latest electric and hybrid vehicle technology, some of which is available to test drive. Other highlights include Poets for Climate Action at 3 p.m. on Saturday, a plastic reduction discussion at 3 p.m. on Sunday, a Kids Corner from families to enjoy special activities, the Homegrown Roots Zone featuring local farmers, food and beverage producers, and the Eco-Marketplace selling earth friendly products and services.
The music on the main stage is always terrific as well. This year’s acts on Saturday include:
11-11:45 a.m. WILL BREMAN
noon-1 p.m. SOPHIE HOLT
1:20-2:20 p.m. EVAN BLIX
2:20-2:35 p.m. WORLD DANCE FOR HUMANITY
2:40-3:40 p.m. NO SIMPLE HIGHWAY
4-5:30 p.m. FALSE PUPPET
5:45-7 p.m. THE LAST DECADE
This year’s musical lineup on Sunday, April 28 includes:
1:15-2 p.m. BOBBY, FINN AND DAVE
2:20-3 p.m. QUEENTIDE
3:15-4:15 p.m. THE VONETTES
4:30-5 p.m. RASTAN CAMPBELL
5:15-6:30 p.m. CORNERSTONE
This year’s festivities take place at Alameda Park (1400 Santa Barbara St.) on Saturday, April 27 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday, April 28 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information and the complete Earth Day schedule, see sbearthday.org.
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