SeeCalifornia.com

Each year in early August Old Spanish Days Fiesta in Santa Barbara celebrates the city’s rich cultural heritage seen in its architecturally-unique historic buildings, paseos, and the Queen of the California missions, Mission Santa Barbara. Fiestas in the Spanish and Mexican tradition have always been closely connected with church celebrations so historic Old Mission Santa Barbara hosted a sunset service for the festival 90 years ago. A procession along the Mission Corridor up to the steps of the mission has opened the festival program since 1927 with an event called Fiesta Pequena, or Little Fiesta.

Santa Barbara ranks among travelers’ favorite beach destinations. But for something really different (and special) this week’s celebration focuses on the historic roots of a city which incorporated five months before California was admitted to the Union in 1850. Santa Barbara was the 6th city to incorporate shortly after Sacramento, Benicia, San Diego, San Jose and Los Angeles became cities.