Rock the Party with the Off the Wagon Mobile Bar

Whiskey Richards’ Sarah Thomas Introduces a Mobile Bar to Santa Barbara

Off the Wagon mobile bar is now available for private parties | Photo: Courtesy

There’s a new bar coming to Santa Barbara, and it’s arriving in style: on wheels!

The Off the Wagon mobile bar is a remodeled 1970s horse trailer that Sarah Thomas has brought back to life. With her bubbly personality, it’s hard not to want to chat about the mobile bar and the steps taken to make it look like what it does today. What started as a rusted, paint-chipped, and floorless horse trailer is now painted black with outdoor string lights hanging from the windows, offering a peek into the refurbished mobile bar.

The mobile bar is part of her new business, Rock the Party, which started when Thomas found out that Whiskey Richards was up for sale a couple of years ago.

Thomas has been bartending at that downtown establishment for more than 10 years, and upon learning of its potential sale, she was unsure about the future of the bar. But at the same time, Thomas had already been thinking about mobile bartending and bringing something different and unique to Santa Barbara. Thomas and her Whiskey Richards co-worker Brendan Langley took the opportunity to start Rock the Party, a novelty company that features their mobile bar, titled Off the Wagon, which is the heart of their new business.

With experience in bartending and event management, the Off the Wagon mobile bar gives Thomas the opportunity to spread her love of community while still working as a bartender. “It was a good way to keep what I love going,” Thomas explained.

Amid uncertainty about Whiskey Richards, Thomas found a rusted-out 1970s horse trailer for sale in 2022. She bought it in 2023, drove down to Mexico to pick it up, and spent the next year putting in a floor and ceiling and completely remodeling it. Now, the cute mobile bar fits in perfectly with an outdoor party setting and is equipped with a 360-degree photo booth and a flower wall.

While Thomas worked toward starting Rock the Party Jac’s Entertainment Company, the owner of The Red Piano in downtown Santa Barbara, bought Whiskey Richards in April 2023. The company helped to put money into adding flair to Whiskey Richards, including repainting the interior, fixing mechanical issues, and installing a new stage with lighting within the first four months under new ownership.

For Thomas, the remodeling of the back meant more opportunity for live music in Santa Barbara. “Music is the magic for human connection,” she said. Helping connect bands to book the space at Whiskey Richards is part of what makes her job so fun.

In addition to the minor renovations made to Whiskey Richards, Thomas explained how supportive Jac’s Entertainment was of her and Langley’s decision to start Off the Party.

“These were both passion projects, and the things I’m passionate about, I go hard on,” said Thomas, emphasizing her love for both Whiskey Richards and Rock the Party. Her long-term hopes for the bar and mobile bar are similar: wanting to grow in Santa Barbara and eventually outside of California to spread music and community.
At the moment, Rock the Party is only available for private bookings. For more information about the different services offered and how to book for an event, visit rockthepartycali.com.