Downtown Santa Barbara exploded with color, music and feathers as the Summer Solstice Celebration Parade unleashed its creativity on the thousands of onlookers Saturday. Seats had been reserved for days beforehand by some forward-thinking residents, and State Street was filled with dancers and fantastic floats working their way to Alameda Park.
The park hosted musical and dance performances, concession stands, arts and crafts booths, and a kiddie area on Friday and Saturday. True to the nature of the festival, the weather stayed clear and sunny.
The first Solstice parade was in 1974 and the spectacle has grown to be the biggest single-day event in Santa Barbara County, with tens of thousands of spectators.