La Fiesta Pequeña Kicks Off Santa Barbara’s Biggest Party

Santa Barbara Fiesta is upon us again. In the hopes of slowly immersing locals and tourists alike into the weekend chaos ahead, La Fiesta Pequeña — “Little Fiesta” — kicked off Wednesday night’s celebration at the historic Old Mission Santa Barbara.

Hundreds of blankets swallowed the field. Jeans and hoodies accompanied festive, elaborate flamenco dresses — the scenery was, as expected, a mix of people coming together to celebrate Hispanic culture.

Junior Spirit of Fiesta Penny Hernandez, fondly known as Penny, is 10 years old and has been dancing since she was 3. She stood tall on the Mission steps with unwavering confidence as she waited to take the stage. She beamed, her bright red lips and slicked-back hair framed by a long white shawl draped over a swan-like white dress.

Taking the stage, she never wavered, never dropped her smile except for the occasional determined gaze — her pride rang through the crowd.

The evening also honored legendary flamenco dancer, teacher, and artist Anna Galindo, whose decades-long legacy helped shape Fiesta into what it is today.

An award winner, CEO and professor of flamenco dance and music, custom fashion designer, and artist, Galindo taught hundreds of thousands of students over 50 years through her school of dance.

“Isn’t it amazing that we’re at the queen of the Missions in the most beautiful city on the planet, right in the biggest party this city ever has?” Santa Barbara Mayor Randy Rowse said as he celebrated the 103rd Old Spanish Days Fiesta.

Nineteen-year-old Santa Barbara City College student Jenna Ramirez, the 2026 Spirit of Fiesta, hypnotized the crowd as dusk fell into night. Violin and soft flamenco music complemented her almost ethereal movements. Ramirez discovered her passion for flamenco at 8 years old, and now, more than a decade later, her dream of becoming Spirit of Fiesta came true.

After a brief history of Fiesta was shared, Silvia Loza of Grupo Folklórico Cielito Lindo introduced the all-female performance, Jalisco: Época de Oro, honoring Jalisco’s beauty and strength.

“We’re here to give honor to family heritage and the love of Mexican culture,” Loza said.

Pastel orange dresses lined with white embroidery floated across the stage in one continuous movement. The dancers occasionally whooped and hollered with the music but otherwise wore radiant grins.

The rest of the night was much of the same. Vibrant, head-turning dresses twirled through the air like flowers in the wind, while young men in deep blue button-downs and pinstriped pants tapped and spun in perfect sync.

“We are honored to present Tiempo, inspired by this year’s Fiesta theme, ‘Fiesta Forever,'” Timo Nuñez of Timo Nuñez Arte Flamenco said. “In flamenco, tiempo is more than just time. It is the space between pause and pulse.”

A soft chant of “¡Sí! Olé! ¡Sí!” prompted the ensemble to take the stage in unison before dancers in flowing purple and blue gowns swept across the stage as the finale began.

Each group filed onto the Mission steps, clapping, beaming, and rocking side to side in dance. Hernandez and Ramirez took center stage, embraced, and bowed as attendees slowly gathered their belongings and filtered out of the Mission.

“Tonight, everyone can be proud to be a Santa Barbarian and be a part of the history of Fiesta forever,” said Father Joe Schwab, OFM, president of Old Mission Santa Barbara.

For the complete list of Fiesta events, click here.