[Noozhawk’s note: One in a daily series leading up to Old Spanish Days Fiesta.]
People enjoy a fiesta at The Copper Coffee Pot restaurant, a downtown Santa Barbara mainstay for decades.
During the fiesta, locals were encouraged to dress up in Spanish costumes while taking part in street performances and events, some even dressing up just to have a coffee.
The restaurant, located at 1029 State Street, later became the home of Aldo’s Italian Restaurant and is now being converted into offices.
This year, the Old Spanish Days Fiesta celebrates its 100th anniversary and brings the history of the fiesta to life.
It all started with a community fiesta celebrating the reopening of the rebuilt Lobero Theatre in 1924. Soon after, Old Spanish Days was founded as a non-profit organization to continue this annual festival that celebrates our history, culture and traditions.
A century later, Fiesta remains an important part of our community.
As we count down to the start of our 100th anniversary celebration, Fiesta 2024, we’re grateful to the Santa Barbara History Museum for helping us keep the spirit of Fiesta alive. Each year, the museum’s Project Fiesta! showcases the good old days of Spain in a unique and exciting way.
Thanks to this collaboration, we are able to share photos from the museum’s Fiesta collection.
Fiesta 2024 will run from July 31 to Aug. 4, and Project Fiesta! will open on July 12 at the museum, located at 136 E. De la Guerra St. It’s definitely worth a visit to experience the history of Old Spanish Days, our community’s special summer celebration.
Click here for the Fiesta events calendar.
Have fun and Viva el Centenario!
