Semana Nautica Summer Sports Festival Turns 80

The Santa Barbara Semana Nautica Association is pleased to announce the 2017 lineup of events that will make up Santa Barbara’s longest-running athletics festival. The Semana Nautica Summer Sports Festival is scheduled for June 29 through July 9.

Semana Nautica is a Santa Barbara tradition dating all the way back to 1933 when a group of visiting U.S. Navy sailors were challenged by locals to a series of competitions at the beach. It has evolved over the years to showcase a variety of sporting events open to the public at large.

A complete list of festival events, dates and registration information can be found at SemanaNautica.com. All events are free for spectators and fans.

Speaking of tradition, many of Semana Nautica’s longtime events are back in 2017. These include several ocean swimming races at East Beach and the grueling endurance test that is the 6-mile swim from Goleta Beach to Hendry’s Beach. There’s also the annual 4th of July 15K Run, held at Elings Park for the first time this year. Don’t miss CBVA beach volleyball at the Cabrillo Bath House, the Krazy Kardboard Kayak Race at West Beach, or the Santa Barbara Tennis Open at the Municipal Courts.

New in 2017 is Run to Surf, a beach-oriented triathlon that combines a run, ocean paddle, and beach obstacle course on July 8.

Festival participants will be eligible for several awards, including the Men’s and Women’s Ocean Swimmers of the Year, Athlete of the Year, and the Jeff Farrell Award.

Origin of Semana Nautica

For more than three-quarters of a century, Santa Barbara has celebrated the Semana Nautica Festival surrounding the 4th of July holiday. The festival originated in 1933 when the local populace challenged the crew of five U.S. Navy battleships, moored offshore, to a series of contests along the beach. Dubbed Fleet Week, the resulting enthusiasm inspired the City Council to charter the event on a permanent basis the following year and change the name to Semana Nautica in honor of the town’s Spanish heritage. Over the years, the sports festival has incorporated hundreds of various events, from the extremely physically challenging to those that welcome participants of all ages and abilities. Spectators may attend the events free of charge and are encouraged to cheer amateur competitors at the many sites in the Santa Barbara area. More than a million people have visited Santa Barbara during Semana Nautica since its inception.