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Santa Barbara, CA, July 30, 2025 – ¡Viva el Arte de Santa Bárbara! (Viva) is thrilled to announce its highly anticipated 2025-2026 season, marking 20 years of celebrating community, culture, and connection through the arts. This milestone season features an outstanding lineup of Latine performers guaranteed to captivate audiences throughout Santa Barbara County.
Viva will present five acclaimed acts that exemplify the vibrant and diverse cultural heritage of Latin America, in a special year commemorating Viva’s 20th season, with multiple opportunities for the community to celebrate together throughout the year.
Grupo Bella
Grupo Bella elegantly expands the styles of traditional Mexican folk with passionate musicianship and a fresh, evolving sound. Led by Grammy-winning vocalist Vanessa Ramirez, the group blends mariachi roots with Mexican pop, boleros, huasteco, and even American classics, creating music that pays homage to the past while pushing boundaries.
Thursday, September 18 |7 PM| Carpinteria Vets Memorial Building
Friday, September 19 |7 PM| Isla Vista Elementary
Saturday, September 20 |7 PM| Guadalupe City Hall
Sunday, September 21 |6 PM| Marjorie Luke Theatre
Gaby Moreno
Guatemala-born Gaby Moreno is a Grammy-winning singer-songwriter and producer known for blending Latin pop, rock, and Americana. With four Grammy nominations and a Latin Grammy win, she’s performed alongside major artists and contributed music to films and TV, including Disney’s Elena of Avalor. Moreno is also Guatemala’s first UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, advocating for immigrant rights through her art.
Thursday, November 6 |7 PM| Carpinteria Vets Memorial Building
Friday, November 7 |7 PM| Isla Vista Elementary
Saturday, November 8 |7 PM| Guadalupe City Hall
Sunday, November 9 |6 PM| Marjorie Luke Theatre
Mariachi Reyna de Los Ángeles
Blazing a trail for women in a male-dominated musical genre, Mariachi Reyna de Los Angeles brings sensitivity, beauty, warmth and vivacious spirit to the historic art of mariachi. Established in 1994, the group had a strong beginning thanks to the mentorship of Lola Bertran, La Reina de La Música Ranchera. Mariachi Reyna de Los Angeles has since gone on to record three albums, share the stage with world-renowned musicians like Vicki Carr, Guadalupe Pineda and Lucha Villa, and perform for some of the world’s highest-profile celebrities, including Tom Cruise, Oprah Winfrey, and Barack and Michelle Obama.
Thursday, January 15 |7 PM| Carpinteria Vets Memorial Building
Friday, January 16 |7 PM| Isla Vista Elementary
Saturday, January 17 |7 PM| Guadalupe City Hall
Sunday, January 18 |6 PM| Marjorie Luke Theatre
Las Cafeteras
Born and raised East of the Los Angeles River, Las Cafeteras are remixing roots music as modern-day troubadours. They are a sonic explosion of Afro-Mexican rhythms, electronic beats and powerful rhymes that document stories of a community seeking to ‘build a world where many worlds fit.’
Thursday, March 19 |7 PM| Carpinteria Vets Memorial Building
Friday, March 20 |7 PM| Isla Vista Elementary
Saturday, March 21 |7 PM| Guadalupe City Hall
Sunday, March 22 |6 PM| Marjorie Luke Theatre
Ballet Folklórico del Rio Grande
Under the direction of Miguel Peña, Ballet Folklórico del Rio Grande (BFRG) is a 30-member ensemble of professional dancers, all alumni of The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley’s renowned folklórico dance program—the only folklórico dance major in the U.S. With performances at the Kennedy Center and tours across North and South America, BFRG celebrates Mexican culture through vibrant dance.
Thursday, April 16 |7 PM| Carpinteria Vets Memorial Building
Friday, April 17 |7 PM| Isla Vista Elementary
Saturday, April 18 |7 PM| Guadalupe City Hall
Sunday, April 19 |6 PM| Marjorie Luke Theatre
“Viva el Arte de Santa Bárbara is honored to present another incredible lineup of renowned Latine artists to Santa Barbara County this year,” says Jenna Hamilton-Rolle, Director of Education and Community Engagement at UC Santa Barbara Arts & Lectures. “We’re thrilled to welcome back several all-time Viva favorites—including Las Cafeteras, Mariachi Reyna de Los Ángeles, Grupo Bella, and Gaby Moreno—alongside an exciting debut from Ballet Folklórico del Rio Grande. As we celebrate Viva’s 20th season, we look forward to sharing even more music, dance, and opportunities for our community to celebrate together throughout the year.”
Founded in 2006, Viva was established with a strong commitment to making the arts accessible to all. The program’s unique approach builds bridges through live performances, shared experiences, and the exploration of Latin America’s rich cultural heritage. By collaborating with various local community partners, Viva brings high-quality touring artists—ranging from Grammy winners to esteemed cultural ambassadors—directly to schools and community spaces.
Viva is a collaboration between UCSB Arts & Lectures, The Marjorie Luke Theatre, the Guadalupe Visual & Performing Arts Center, and the Isla Vista School Parent Teacher Association, serving more than 15,000 students and community members in Carpinteria, Santa Barbara, Goleta, Lompoc, Santa Maria, Guadalupe and New Cuyama.
For more information about Viva’s free community performances, please visit https://artsandlectures.ucsb.edu/learn/viva-el-arte-de-santa-barbara/.
Act Now to Preserve the Legacy of ¡Viva el Arte de Santa Baìrbara!
For nearly two decades Viva has brought vibrant cultural performance and educational opportunities to the most underserved in Santa Barbara County. If you are interested in supporting the program we invite you to join us in securing the future of this vital partnership for generations to come with a gift in support of !Viva el Arte de Santa Barbara!
To learn more about giving to ¡Viva el Arte de Santa Bárbara!, please visit https://artsandlectures.ucsb.edu/giving/viva-endowment/
If you have questions about supporting Viva, contact Elise Erb, Interim Senior Director of Development, at (805) 893-5679 or email Elise.erb@artsandlectures.ucsb.edu.
