Goleta Lemon Festival Returns September 26 and 27 for a Weekend of Music, Pie, and Fun

The Goleta Lemon Festival returns to Girsh Park September 26 and 27, bringing two days of live music, carnival rides, food, classic cars, and the annual spectacle of people racing to eat pie as quickly as possible.

This year’s festival will spread the entertainment across two stages, with acts ranging from rock and country to blues and funk. Saturday’s UCLA Health Stage lineup builds toward a 4:45 p.m. set from Area 51, while Sunday closes with Goodlanders at 4:45 p.m. The Point Market Stage will feature a rotating mix of local musicians, dance groups, and youth performers throughout the weekend.

The music is only part of the attraction. The festival’s Kids Zone is adding several new activities this year, including a mechanical dragon ride, an archery arcade from UCSB Department of Recreation, and new toddler bounces. There will also be a meet-and-greet spot with Zesty, the festival’s official lemon mascot. For food, festivalgoers can find Dave’s Dogs, Elubia’s Kitchen, Considered Coffee, Woodstock’s Pizza, burgers from Tink’s, lemon meringue pie, lemon bars, and plenty of lemonade.

“We try to grow the festival in some way while maintaining a balance of the nostalgia that keeps our dedicated guests returning each year,” says Cortney Hebert-Rintoul, chief operating officer of the Santa Barbara South Coast Chamber of Commerce, which organizes the festival.

That balance is perhaps most apparent in the festival’s annual traditions. The American Riviera Bank Pie Eating Contest returns at noon each day on the UCLA Health Stage. Saturday brings the 19th Annual Goleta Fall Classic Car Show, with awards scheduled for 2:30 p.m. Safety Street, presented by CMC Rescue, will once again give kids the chance to climb aboard emergency vehicles and meet local first responders.

For Hebert-Rintoul, though, the festival’s biggest draw is less tangible. “The connection to our community is the heart of the Goleta Lemon Festival,” she says. An 18-member volunteer committee helps put on the event, with some members returning year after year for a decade or more. The festival is also the largest annual fundraiser for more than 30 local nonprofits.

“It is a staple of our community,” she says, “and the excitement that is always brewing leading up to the festival is the driving force in bringing it all together and creating special memories each year.”

The Goleta Lemon Festival takes place Saturday, September 26, and Sunday, September 27, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Girsh Park. Admission is free. An all-inclusive Kids Activity Wristband is $30 when purchased online before September 24 and $40 at the festival.

For more information, see lemonfestival.com