The Goleta Lemon Festival Returns at Girsh Park

By the Santa Barbara South Coast Chamber of Commerce

The Santa Barbara South Coast Chamber of Commerce is excited to announce the return of The Goleta Lemon Festival, presented by Rusty’s Pizza, on September 24 & 25 at Girsh Park in Goleta. The Goleta Lemon Festival hosts 80+ booths featuring local non-profit organizations, lemony foods and beverages, lemon accessories, hats, and souvenirs.

The South Coast celebrates the rich history and role lemon harvesting has in our region with The Goleta Lemon Festival. What started as a small street festival in 1949 celebrating Goleta’s agricultural roots, has grown to attract more than 40,000 residents, visitors, community leaders, nonprofits and elected officials celebrating the South Coast and Goleta community. The festival is Goleta’s largest community event of the year for 29 years.

Indulge at the Community West Bank Food Court with treats to satisfy any craving like lemonade, lemon tacos, lemon cotton candy and Rusty’s pizza!  When you get thirsty, visit The Signature Flight Support Lemon Lounge for a refreshing lemon ale and local wines.

While festival goers explore and shop, they will enjoy live entertainment from the American Riviera Main Stage in a wide variety of musical styles, including Rock, Country, Blues, R&B, and more. Don’t miss the headliner and local favorite, Area 51! 

The Lemon Festival is known as a fun, informative, and exciting event for kids of all ages. Grab an all-inclusive activity wristband for endless rides and games including archery tag, inflatable bubbles, and obstacle courses at the Santa Barbara Airport Kids Zone. Pre-purchase your activity wristband for a $5 savings at LemonFestival.com.

The festival also features the largest interactive display of Fire, Police, and Emergency Services in the County at the ExxonMobile Safety Street where you can meet the people who help keep us safe and get an up-close look at their state-of-the-art vehicles and technologies.

On Saturday, the festival will feature the 15th Annual Goleta Fall Classic Car Show, presented by The Point Market, showcasing a variety of cool classic cars ranging from Corvettes and Camaros to trucks and pick-ups along with motorcycles and bicycles. Enjoy refreshing lemon ale or lemon meringue pie while admiring these classics.

The festival could not happen without the many volunteers, ages 14 and up, who spend time planning the festival and lending a helping hand over the weekend. Applications for volunteers are now being accepted, visit LemonFestival.com for volunteer opportunities.

The Goleta Lemon Festival is organized by the Santa Barbara South Coast Chamber of Commerce, from Goleta to Carpinteria.  The festival celebrates Goleta’s heritage as a preeminent lemon-growing region and honoring the first commercial planting of lemon trees in California in 1875.

The Goleta Lemon Festival is from 10 AM to 6 PM on Saturday, September 24 and 10 AM to 5 PM on Sunday, September 25. Get more information at LemonFestival.com.

About Santa Barbara South Coast Chamber of Commerce

The Santa Barbara South Coast Chamber of Commerce, from Goleta to Carpinteria, was launched in 2020 as the result of merging the Carpinteria, Goleta and Santa Barbara Chambers of Commerce. Combining the three independent, long-standing organizations created a larger, regional, business organization with the mission to help south coast businesses, residents, and visitors thrive. To learn more, visit sbscchamber.com or follow @SBSouthCoastChamber on Facebook and Instagram, and @SBSCChamber on Twitter.