1 st Thursday Art Walk Returns for a 15 th Season!

Downtown Santa Barbara is proud to announce the
return of the 1 st Thursday Art Walk. For 14 years, nearly every 1 st Thursday evening in
Downtown Santa Barbara has been filled with FREE art, culture, and music! Between 3,000
and 5,000 residents and visitors have traversed through museums, art galleries, street
exhibitions, retail and professional businesses, and restaurants in the downtown district. They
explore, enjoy, and delight in all that our beautiful Downtown has to offer.

1 st Thursday returns on August 5 from 5-8 p.m. with 15+ participating downtown venues, as
well as a mariachi band located on the 1000 block of State Street, and flamenco dancing in
front of the Arlington Theatre! Be sure to stop by the Santa Barbara Historical Museum
for their exhibition “Project Fiesta!” as they celebrate the 97 th Old Spanish Days Fiesta with
photos, costumes and artifacts from previous celebrations.

All of these attractions and many more are FREE during 1 st Thursday on August 5. There is a
little something for everyone. Pick up a 1 st Thursday passport, the official map and guide of
all participating venues and events, from Paseo Nuevo. You can also download the map at
https://www.downtownsb.org/events/1st-thursday or find it in the Santa Barbara Independent
and Voice Magazine the week before each event.

“We are so excited to bring the 1 st Thursday ArtWalk back after such a long hiatus. The
monthly ArtWalk event highlights the artists, performers, local galleries, and businesses that
create the unique sense of place we call Santa Barbara. It adds to the vibrancy of our
community and gives our local artists diverse venues and access to a regular audience to view
and purchase their work. This has all been missing during the last year and we are excited to

bring back this economic engine to support and celebrate the arts,” said Robin Elander,
Executive Director of Downtown Santa Barbara. If you’re looking for a guided walking tour
during 1 st Thursday, the SB ArtCrawl is a great way to meet new friends to visit the galleries.
It meets at 5:30 pm in front of the Santa Barbara Museum of Art at 1130 State Street, and is
led by Andi Garcia, a passionate warrior for Santa Barbara arts. Wear comfy shoes and a
mask so you can crawl in comfort!

Due to the recent uptick in Covid-19 cases, make sure to check our website
(DowntownSB.org) for the latest details on which venues are open and latest restrictions, as
conditions are changing. Masks are strongly recommended indoors per recently updated CDC
guidelines. DSB has also recommended that participating venues limit capacity to keep
patrons as safe as possible. Many 1 st Thursday venues are also open and highlighting local
artists throughout the month, so if you are uncomfortable visiting during normal 1 st Thursday
hours, or if you find the venue you wanted to visit isn’t open, make sure to visit at another
time during the month to support our local businesses and arts community.

The Downtown Organization Santa Barbara is supports and promotes more than 1300
businesses in the downtown district. To learn more visit www.downtownsb.org. To become a
Downtown Santa Barbara sponsor or partner, email Robin Elander, Executive Director, at
Robin@DowntownSB.org. To learn more about 1 st Thursday, email April Lee, Event
Manager at April@downtownsb.org