The monthly 1st Thursday events return this week.
Downtown Santa Barbara is announcing the return of the 1st Thursday Art Walk from 5 to 8 p.m with more than 15 participating downtown venues as well as a mariachi band on the 1000 block of State Street and flamenco dancing in front of the Arlington Theatre.
The Santa Barbara Historical Museum has a special exhibition, “Project Fiesta!,” as it celebrates the 97th Old Spanish Days Fiesta with photos, costumes and artifacts from previous celebrations.
1st Thursday passports, the official map and guide of all participating venues and events, can be picked up at Paseo Nuevo. Maps can also be downloaded at www.downtownsb.org/events/1st-thursday.
“We are so excited to bring the 1st Thursday Art Walk back after such a long hiatus. The monthly 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.
A guided walking tour during 1st Thursday, the SB ArtCrawl meets at 5:30 p.m. in front of the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, 1130 State St. and is led by Andi Garcia, a passionate warrior for Santa Barbara arts.
Due to the recent uptick in Covid-19 cases, participants are asked to check the DowntownSB.org website for the latest details on which venues are open and the latest restrictions as conditions keep changing. Masks are strongly recommended indoors per recently updated CDC guidelines.
DSB also recommends that participating venues limit capacity to keep patrons as safe as possible. Many 1st Thursday venues are also open and highlighting local artists throughout the month.
The Downtown Organization Santa Barbara supports and promotes more than 1,300 businesses in the downtown district. For more information, visit www.downtownsb.org.To learn more about 1st Thursday, email April Lee, event manager, at April@downtownsb.org.
email: mmcmahon@newspress.com
