Subscriber Comments for
Solstice Evening

Comments in order of when they were received | (reverse order)

COMMENT 290772	2012-06-23 03:40 PM
Today was the first Solstice Parade where we saw kids throwing cascarones at the floats as hard as they could, and occasionally at participants...with their parents 'egging' them on. Most of the float riders looked a bit shocked, and a couple made a show out of cleaning off the 'mess'. The behavior did chip some paint and leave marks, not to mention the risk of egg shell in an eye. This kind of aggressiveness seems un-Solstice-like, but maybe times have changed.
COMMENT 290780	2012-06-23 04:13 PM
This was the worst Solstice parade ever. To many non-local loud mass groups with over-amplified music and no cute, homemade costumes. It stalled forever for no reason and it lost all its punch. The food booths were all commercial operations and they had a huge long line to get tickets and then huge long lines to get your food - definitely not worth it. Far better off downtown. Some of the family floats and costumes were cute, but they were few and far between if you could stand having your ears get blasted off. The half dozen accordion players were the best part that brought genuine smiles and applause. The large noisy troops brought grim revulsion. No longer local, no longer acoustic only, no longer fun and spontaneous. No longer anything to bother attending. Passing of an era. Stick a fork in it, Solstice is DOA.
JOHN WILEY	2012-06-23 07:30 PM
That one large group did have especially loud and shrill sound amps, but (after covering our ears) we enjoyed that one too. I'm glad anyone who no longer enjoys Solstice plans to stay away. Win/win. :)
COMMENT 290916P	2012-06-24 10:13 AM
Solstice has always been my favorite Santa Barbara event, but this year the park seemed like Solstice on crack cocaine. The whole buy tix for food or games or a bouncy house was just insane! The crowd was bigger than I've ever seen it and the beer garden took up half the park. The kids section was just scary with so many children and parents in such a small space. I found a friend's kid wandering around lost and saw other children behaving badly whilst their parents were not watching. It was really just total chaos. We got out of there as soon as possible and won't be back. It's not a quaint locals event anymore.
COMMENT 290958	2012-06-24 12:01 PM
100,000 people loved the parade and had a great time. A few people can't help but find or invent negatives; I feel sorry for them.
COMMENT 290959	2012-06-24 12:02 PM
I do not contribute in any way to Solstice festival, but I like to complain here that the event has to do what it has to do to raise the funds and accommodate the volumes of people.

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