“Santa Barbara Sunset Sips,” a new monthly sunset cruise, is set to have its first voyage Father’s Day weekend.
The cruise, a two-hour ride along the Santa Barbara Channel, will feature live music and drinks, including craft beer and cocktails.
The event is sponsored by En Fuego Events, the Condor Express, and Heart n Soul Mixology. This cruise’s key players this weekend are local band Cornerstone Reggae and Firestone Walker Brewing Company, who will be all aboard on the Condor Express.
“We are extremely excited to bring something unique, exclusive and fun to locals and visitors,” said En Fuego Events co-owner Andres Nuño.
He said he hopes the cruise can be something fun for both locals and visitors alike. “We’re really hoping that the locals buy into it. We’re hoping that people who are visiting town can get into the Santa Barbara Channel on a little bit of a tour.”
Partnering with the whale-watching boat the Condor Express, Nuño said the event was an attempt to create a new event and utilize an already existing boat.
“They’re very busy during the day, and they want to know how they can utilize the boat in the evening,” he said. “It just was a perfect marriage between the two of us to try to make these things happen.”
The initial idea came from Heart n Soul Mixology owner Nuh Kimbwala, who approached Nuño with the idea to have a nighttime event on the Condor Express.
“He kind of came up to me and said, ‘Gey, you know, I think we have a really cool opportunity to do something a little bit different,’” Nuño said.
Attendees can expect a different musical genre with each voyage, ranging from reggae and folk to ’90s hip-hop. In addition to Father’s Day weekend’s June 19 event, upcoming dates are July 11, August 22, September 6, and October 24. See eventsbyenfuego.ticketsauce.com/e/santa-barbara-sunset-sips for details.
“Every band is a little bit different,” Nuño said.
As for another surprise cruise-goers might expect, Nuño said there is a chance (though not guaranteed) guests may see some aquatic animals.
“The [Condor Express’s] staff are very knowledgeable about the Santa Barbara Channel. There’s actually a chance that we’ll be able to see some whales and some dolphins as we go out,” he said.
Attendance for the cruise is capped at 100, which he says is “a little different” from other large-scale events by En Fuego.
Nuño hopes the event will allow people to experience “something fun and different.”
“I think people are going to really enjoy themselves, and then as people go on it, they’ll start talking about it, posting about it, and then it’ll make it a little bit easier moving forward to really get people excited,” he said.
For tickets, see eventsbyenfuego.ticketsauce.com/e/santa-barbara-sunset-sips.
