Downtown Business Spotlight is a virtual interview series, where we chat and get to know our Santa Barbara business owners. Join us for this interview series in collaboration with the Santa Barbara Independent, each Thursday at 3 PM.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 7, 3 PM

TOPIC: Downtown Boutiques

Join Robin Elander in conversation with Erica Brown (Dylan Star) and Robin Baron & Grace Paulette (Salt Boutique) in this week’s Downtown Business Spotlight.
Did you miss the last Downtown Business Spotlight?
Watch it below!

TOPIC: Food & Drink: Wine Bars

Join Matt Kettmann in conversation with Gabriella and Sean Larkins (Villa Wine Bar & Kitchen) and Zachary Feld & Breanna Kromer (Crush Bar & Tap) in this week’s Downtown Business Spotlight.
1st Thursday Art Walk
October 7, 5:00 - 8:00 pm
Join us for the 1st Thursday Art Walk this Thursday on October 7, 5 - 8 pm! We have 29 participating venues featuring attractions such as art openings, live music, artists' receptions, lectures, wine tastings, and hands-on activities. We hope you will join us to enjoy our beautiful downtown and all that it has to offer!


State Street Promenade Market
Every Thursday, 3:00 - 7:30 pm
State Street between Canon Perdido & Figueroa
We invite you to join us Thursday evenings at the State Street Promenade Market to help support local businesses, restaurants, artisans, and performers.The market is located between Carrillo and Figueroa streets every Thursday. 

Come see local participating artisan vendors, stores, and restaurants along with LIVE performances! This week we are welcoming back Brandon Kinalele and his band to the market stage, stop by to see them from 6:00-8:00 pm near Oppi'z

Enjoy our extended 1st Thursday hours from 3:30-8:00 pm and come visit our info booth for a 1st Thursday Passport and to learn more about downtown happenings.

See you at the market!
Pianos on State
October 5-24, 2021

PIANOS ON STATE is an annual interactive musical experience that takes place during Arts & Humanities Month each October. Each piano becomes its own interactive piece of art as painted by local emerging and established artists. Many thanks to all of our community sponsors for helping to make this project possible for its 12th year!

2021 piano artists:

Giovanna Alyssandra; Jennifer Chan; Christian Hali; Mina Haitsuka; Katreece Montgomery; Mountain View Elementary School (with artist Mandy Philips); Permatint Collective: Alexis Zofia Kubicki, Aaron Latham, Shannon Nicholson, Scott Sanderfer, Sol Smalls, James Voyles, Dark Winterfire; Dez "Deadstxle" Porter; Brittany Ragan; Irene Rinta; Rik Stokes

. Community members will also be invited to submit videos of themselves playing to the Pianos on State Facebook page.

Pianos on State represents a collaboration between the Santa Barbara Bowl, City of Santa Barbara, CAW, Santa Barbara Education Foundation, Office of Arts & Culture and Downtown Santa Barbara.

play. listen. enjoy.
Special Olympics Southern California Flags on State Street
October 6-13
Special Olympics transforms lives through the joy of sport, every day, everywhere. We are the world's largest sports organization for people with intellectual disabilities: with 4.4 million athletes in 170 countries -- and millions more volunteers and supporters. We are also a global and social movement.

Through the power of sports, people with intellectual disabilities discover new strengths and abilities, skills, and success. The athletes find joy, confidence and fulfillment -- on the playing field and in life. They also inspire people in their communities and elsewhere to open their hearts to a wider world of human talents and potential.
Join Special Olympics Santa Barbara County along with our local law enforcement agencies, firefighters, sponsors, and supporters by taking the Plunge at Leadbetter Beach. Run, walk, or dance into the chilly waters of Leadbetter Beach on Saturday, October 9 to raise funds for Special Olympics Santa Barbara County.
Deadline Extended!
The Best of Santa Barbara® Scavenger Hunt – presented by Downtown Santa Barbara

The Best of Santa Barbara® Scavenger Hunt – presented by Downtown Santa Barbara – will take place from Saturday, October 23 at 9 a.m. – Sunday, October 24 at 8 p.m.. We invite you to put your Santa Barbara knowledge to the test. You’ll have 35 hours to solve as many of the 35 clues as you can. And if the thrill of solving clues isn’t enough of an incentive to join in on the fun, the winning team will win a $1,000 cash prize.

How it Works:

1. Register your team below – Deadline to Sign Up: Friday, October 22 @ noon
Teams can have up to 4 people, and it costs $25 per team to register.

2. Decide on a team name and an object to keep with you throughout the hunt.
This object can be a lucky rabbit’s foot, your favorite issue of the Santa Barbara Independent, or even a banana. Whatever you decide on should be easy enough to carry around, but also recognizable in photos.

3. Know what to expect.
On the morning of Saturday, October 23 all teams will receive the clue packet in their inbox. We recommend printing out a copy to take with you on your hunt. Every clue is worth a different amount of points based on the difficulty of the clue. At the end, the team with the most points will win. You do not need to solve every clue. Do as much as you can to earn as many points as possible.

4. Get solving!
As your team solves clues, you’ll be taking photos at the different locations with your team object. Your team object and all but one team player must be present in all photos. Your team must stick together!

5. Submit your answers.
Be sure to save your photos all in one spot, because you will be submitting them to our server by 7:59 p.m. on Sunday. (Instructions will be sent out to all teams on how to do this.)

Winners will be contacted directly and announced in the November 4 print issue of the Santa Barbara Independent.

May the BEST team win!

Questions? Email at emily@independent.com
Santa Barbara City Mayoral Candidate Discussion
Wednesday, Oct. 6, 5:30 p.m.

Join Santa Barbara Independent’s Executive Editor, Nick Welsh, as he sits down for a discussion with the mayoral candidates.

Moderated by Nick Welsh

CANDIDATES
Cathy Murillo · incumbent
James Joyce III
Randy Rowse
Deborah Schwartz
Mark Whitehurst
David Matthew Kilrain (“Boat Rat Matt”)
Candidates Forums: Mayor & City Council Election
October 18 & 20

The American Institute of Architects Santa Barbara Chapter and partners from Downtown Organization of Santa Barbara, Coastal Housing Coalition, and American Planning Association Central Coast Section have collaborated to organize two virtual forums on two separate evenings – one for Mayoral Candidates and one for Districts 4, 5, and 6 Candidates.

The purpose of the two Forums is to give the community the opportunity to ask questions and hear final words from candidates on important community issues such as Housing, Homelessness, Economic Vitality, Climate Crisis, and more before making final decisions and sending in ballots. Questions from the audience will be collected and posed to the candidates as determined by the moderator. given time available.

Moderator: Brian Johnson, President of the Santa Barbara Association of Realtors

Mayoral Candidates
Monday, October 18, 2021, 5:00pm - 6:30pm

City Council Candidates Districts 4,5,6
Wednesday, October 20, 2021, 5:00pm - 6:30pm

The following candidates have confirmed attendance:

Mayor:
David Matthew Kilrain
Mayor Cathy Murillo
Randy Rowse
Deborah Schwartz
Mark M Whitehurst
James Joyce, unconfirmed

City Council:
Jason Carlton, Dist 6
Eric Friedman, Dist 5
Meagan Harmon, Dist 6
Nina Johnson, Dist 6
Barrett Reed, Dist 4
Kristin Sneddon, Dist 4
Zachary Pike, unconfirmed, Dist 6

Ballots arrive the week of October 4th. Vote by November 2nd.
We urge everyone to attend these Forums. Please register below to attend each Forum.
City of Santa Barbara 2021 Election Candidates Forum Committee
Supporting Partners