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, APRIL 8, 3 PM

TOPIC: Food & Drink - Asian Cuisine

Join Matt Kettmann in conversation with Peter Lee & Felicia Medina (Secret Bao), and Jerry Lee (Empty Bowl) in this week’s Downtown Business Spotlight.
Did you miss the last Downtown Business Spotlight?
Watch it below!
Hear Charles Donelan in conversation with Nathan Vonk (Sullivan Goss) and Thomas Reynolds (Thomas Reynolds Gallery) in this week’s Downtown Business Spotlight.
36th Santa Barbara International Film Festival
March 31 - April 10, 2021

What: Santa Barbara International Film Festival

When: The 36th annual festival is taking place this year March 31st - April 10th

Where: 140 Loma Alta Rd. Santa Barbara, CA 92054

How to Watch: For the first festival doing side-by-side beachfront drive-ins that will be offered for free to the general public, with a hybrid ticketing model for online attendees. All films will be available after the opening night and available for viewing immediately so you can spend your days binging top content from around the world (Netflix-style).

Links to passes: are available on sbiff.org.

Who: International talent from the best in film will descend on SB via LIVE virtual tributes to talk about their careers and why these types of festivals are critical to the overall entertainment community.

Honorees and panelists include: Bill Murray, Sacha Baron Cohen, Amanda Seyfried, Riz Ahmed, Maria Bakalova, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Andra Day, Sidney Flanigan, Vanessa Kirby, Tahar Rahim, Zendaya, Carey Mulligan, and Delroy Lindo.

More: The festival will feature 47 world premieres and 37 U.S. premieres from 45 countries.

Top films to watch out for: Invisible Valley (Opening Night); Trees of Peace; The Conservation Game; Coast and Alaskan Nets.
Dueling Pianos
Fridays & Saturdays
@ Backstage Kitchen & Bar
Dueling Pianos bring not just music, but comedy and crowd interaction all night long making the audience members the stars of the show.

409 State Street
Doors Open at 7 PM
No Cover
21+ 
Santa Barbara: Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow
- A Virtual Dialogue Series

Join Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation this spring for a free, five-part virtual dialogue series hosted on Zoom Webinar featuring some leading minds in the history, methodology and practice of principled urban development.
 
The City of Santa Barbara is exploring ways to revitalize its downtown core and provide more housing to meet our workforce needs as well as statewide housing requirements while remaining committed to keeping Santa Barbara’s character. How should we respond to the interrelated and multifaceted challenges Santa Barbara currently faces?
 
Throughout this series participants will learn how other, similar urban and suburban communities reached and implemented successful pragmatic solutions, how Santa Barbara developed and maintained its unique character, and how a better understanding of the history of that character development, coupled with some important lessons learned elsewhere, can help inform us about how we should respond to Santa Barbara’s urban development demands of today as well as prepare for the challenges of tomorrow.

NEXT WEBINAR:
Traditional Urbanism for Today & Tomorrow

April 7, 2021 · 6PM
Santa Barbara is in need of long-term, sustainable urban and suburban development solutions. We need to consider our present and future urban design needs within the context of keeping Santa Barbara's character. Utilizing the method of looking to our past and to experts to give us clarity and direction for making decisions about Santa Barbara’s future, renowned Greek American architect Stefanos Polyzoides will share his challenges and successes, most notably his acclaimed design efforts in revitalizing another similar-sized Southern California town, the City of Pasadena.

The presentation will be followed by a panel discussion featuring prominent local voices and leading minds in the history, methodology and practice of principled urban development, as well as an opportunity for audience Q&A.
State Street Promenade Market
Thursday, April 8, 3 - 7:30 PM
Welcome to Downtown!

Tondi Gelato

401 Paseo Nuevo
Sevtap Winery

23 E. Canon Perdido Street
SB Urban Flea Market

729 State Street