It’s a Wild, Wild World, And We ALL Get to Play in It

It’s a Wild, Wild World, And We ALL Get to Play in It

Santa Barbara’s Annual Summer Solstice Festivities Are Back

By Leslie Dinaberg | Photos by Ingrid Bostrom
June 19, 2025

When the Solstice Celebration theme of “Wild World” was selected back in 2024, “I don’t think anybody could have predicted how appropriate that would be in 2025,” said Santa Barbara Summer Solstice Board President Justin Gunn.

“Not to get too political,” he laughed ruefully, “but it’s in an environment where there’s all of these forces which are sort of reinforcing social divisiveness. It’s really a precious, precious, beautiful thing to have something like Solstice that reminds the community that we’re inclusive, we’re friendly. It’s about joy and community, and that’s sad to say that that’s increasingly rare in society. I think it’s very, very important that we nurture this.”

Artistic Buzz

I visited the Solstice Workshop to meet with Gunn and his team last week, and there was an infectious buzz of creative, visionary artists, designers, builders, and swarms of worker bees gathered in this unique imagination-fueled hive — as they’ve done for more than 50 years now — to create an amazing, completely homegrown, people-powered, and people-created festival for the rest of us to enjoy. 

“The goal for everybody on staff and everybody on the board is to ensure that Solstice not only survives, but really thrives and can grow, because we believe in the core mission: that there’s something very special about how Santa Barbara has come together in such creative energy that’s unlike any other place, I think, in the United States that I have been to or lived in,” said Gunn, an artist himself, who has been involved with the organization since he moved here in 2017 and quickly became enmeshed in this tribe of fellow creative spirits.

“Not only do we get to show one another how we roll — or push and roll — but we also get to show the world that, hey, this is possible. Look at this community coming together, people from all walks of life, different socioeconomic backgrounds, all working together, elbow to elbow, and dancing together and celebrating life on this magical day,” said Gunn.

Joy Juice

“I get my joy juice here, because I get to experience the creativity,” said Executive Director Penny Little, who has been involved with the organization for 20 years, and took the top position in 2023. “We’re not going to solve the problems in this world today without creativity. It takes freedom of thought and creative thinkers, and that’s what we give back to the world: people who know how to work together and know how to create and create together, and have new ideas how to handle that.”

Asked what continues to excite and motivate her after so many years, Little said, “I think that probably is the thing that keeps me going — the joy juice, the creativity. But the whole thing is just so amazing, it’s hard to pinpoint one thing.”

A Three-Legged Beast

There are really three main legs to the entire event, said Gunn. “The workshop, the festival, and the parade — they’re all part of one big show. It starts here at the workshop. It’s a team effort to build all of these floats and costumes and masks and puppets and props. And then we get to show the community in the parade what we built. And then we get to celebrate those creations all weekend long. 

“Celebrate Santa Barbara; celebrate Solstice; celebrate bringing people, bringing the community together through hands-on participation in the arts.”

He continued to stress the point that Solstice is really not just one day, but rather the whole lead-up and the whole weekend, starting on Friday, June 20, at 4 p.m. with an opening ceremony at Alameda Park, followed by free musical performances by DJ Darla Bea (who will also emcee), the Brasscals, Dance with Harout, The Last Decade, World Dance for Humanity, The New Vibe, and False Puppet. 

“We’re really focusing on Friday and making it into, like, locals’ night, and that party goes ’til 9 p.m.,” said Festival Director Olivia Sorgman, noting that this year, the beer and wine garden will be easily accessible near the stage.

“We’re inviting a bunch of different groups to come hang out with us at the park before the whole weekend kicks off,” said Sorgman, an events planning pro who clearly knows her stuff. She is also the Festival Director of the Avocado Festival and Earth Day.

After Friday’s locals’ night party, Saturday is the parade day, kicking off at noon. “And we have bands and music starting at noon at the park,” said Sorgman.

Musical Menagerie

Saturday’s main stage includes some of Santa Barbara’s favorite homegrown bands — Morganfield Burnett, Area 51, Will Stephens Band, The Kicks, Spencer the Gardener, and Flannel 101 — as well as a deejay stage.

Sunday’s music is “Reggae Sunday,” in partnership with KJEE, and they’ll have four or five bands that day too, Sorgman said. These include Honey B, The Upbeat, Cornerstone, and Morie & the Heavy Hitters, as well as a deejay stage. 

As for the rest of the festival festivities, “I think the biggest thing is the FUNtopia area, which we’ve been having a lot of fun planning,” said Sorgman. FUNtopia is on the Kids’ World side of the park, and it’s going to be filled with fun activities for kids of all ages. For example, Sorgman said, “We have a whole area where we’re going to have a tent where you can make intention bouquets, and there are a lot of body movement classes. There’s going to be flow arts classes.”

There will be swarms of people dressed like bees to interact with the crowd, as well as a stage for community and youth-based performances, done in partnership with the Santa Barbara Bowl. The Santa Barbara Zoo, Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, and Sea Center are also coming, along with Wowza (an entertainer they promise will “wow you”), Yellow Bird Music classes, peace sticks, tie-dying, and much more. 

“Our philosophy is that there isn’t a kids’ zone. It’s that this entire festival is about play and fun and community. Kids of every age will enjoy it,” said Sorgman.

Cultivating Creatives

“I’m fond of saying that at Solstice, we don’t just make art; we make artists,” said Gunn. 

“We’re kind of an incubator for young and old and anybody…. We welcome all ages, all stages; all economic strata are working next to each other, and teamwork and collaboration,” added Little. “A lot of things that aren’t often highly valued, you know, but they’re so important not just to us, but to business, to the world, to the health of a community.”

She added, “We’re kind of unique in the world because we are teaching the art of celebration, which, let’s say there are not universities around the world that teach the art of celebration. And that includes media; that includes production; that includes construction, logistics, back end, front end. You know, celebration arts is not just one thing. It’s not just papier-mâché, but that’s the beauty of it. People can come in; they don’t have to be an artist. They can come to the workshop and get involved painting something under somebody’s direction, and they’re part of this thing that is so much bigger than themselves.”

“With every year, we successively try to enhance the art factor for the festival,” said Gunn. “One of the things that we’re doing, and really making the push for, is that artistic elements from the floats will actually come off and become decor at the festival.”

This is a brilliant idea, since it’s always hard for parade-goers to see all of the hard work and artistic creativity that goes into things. 

“In an effort to celebrate the art that’s created here, and not get just brought back and shoved back into the workshop and out of sight, as much of the art as we can will come off and decorate the festival for the whole weekend,” said Gunn.

There will also be an inflatable garden with large scale pieces created as the parade final entries by artist Pali X-Mano over the years. “It will be like a mini art experience in the park,” said Sorgman. 

Wild World

In honor of both the “Wild World” theme and the Solstice team’s plan to participate in the international Elephant Parade (elephantparade.com/parades) in the fall — with irresistible life-sized baby elephant sculptures downtown — this year’s Solstice Parade finale by Pali X-Mano will be an inflatable elephant. “His vision is that his elephant is sitting up, so the aerialist can go inside, and you can see the aerialist perform through the belly,” said Little. 

There will also be a few other elephantine nods throughout the parade, including artist Christopher Noxon’s colorful “Phantasmagorical Landscapafont,” a pink beauty that echoes a fantasy landscape. Beyond that, said Little, “We never quite know what amazing things everyone’s going to create until you see it start coming down the parade route.”

“The collaboration and the creativity and that the entire community comes together under this banner of creative self-expression and just merrymaking and joy is so special,” said Gunn.

Sorgman has been part of the parade since she was 5 and shared some fond memories. “My dad was on the board. I sold T-shirts when I was a kid. … I remember as a kid, I came down here, and somebody was like, ‘Oh, do you want to be a candy?’ And I’m like, ‘What does that mean?’ And then, I come here, they started measuring me, and I stood in there, and they wrapped all this fabric on me, and they’re like, ‘Okay, come back in 20 minutes.’ They had sewed the whole thing and put it on me, and I was a candy!” she laughed.

“Where is that ever happening? Disneyland? No. It doesn’t happen to you at the mall. It doesn’t happen to you at school. It doesn’t happen to you anywhere else. I think that’s what has excited me about it, said Sorgman.

“Just all the creativity, and it’s much more in this event, I think. And it involves collaboration in a different way,” Sorgman said. “Anyone from any walk of life that can be here … and their creativity thrives, and you have no idea what they’re going to create and see until it starts coming down the parade route, and you’re like, ‘Oh my gosh. It all comes together.’ ”

“It’s so gratifying to know that what we really work on all year round to make this happen culminates in that moment,” said Gunn. “And then everybody gets to the park and you just see everybody having so much fun. It’s like the best high is just witnessing that much collective, joyous energy. You want to bottle that.

The Solstice Parade starts at noon on Saturday, June 21, at the intersection of Ortega and Santa Barbara streets. The parade will travel on Santa Barbara Street and then end at the Solstice Festival at Alameda Park, where floats will remain on display through the afternoon and various elements will decorate the festival for the rest of the weekend. In addition to special areas set aside for seniors and ADA access, there is VIP seating in a shaded area that includes water, snacks, and a parade swag bag. The cost of VIP Seating is $65 per person, with all proceeds supporting the costs of the workshop and parade infrastructure. 

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The Solstice Festival kicks off on Friday, June 20, at 4 p.m. at Alameda Park (1400 Santa Barbara St. at Sola Street). The free event includes a stellar musical lineup and activities for all ages and takes place on Friday, June 20, 4-9 p.m.; Saturday, June 21, noon-8 p.m.; and Sunday, June 22, noon-7 p.m. New this year is a VIP Beer & Wine Garden pass ($50), with a great view of the main stage acts, shade, private cash bar, bathrooms, and water station. See solsticeparade.com or email solstice@solsticeparade.com for more information.