Under the sprawling trees of Rancho La Patera, community leaders, business owners and local residents alike gathered on Thursday evening for Fiesta Ranchera, an annual fundraiser supporting Old Spanish Days and the Goleta Valley Historical Society while helping kick off the upcoming Fiesta season.
The event offered food tastings and beverages, live entertainment as well as an opportunity for the community to gather and celebrate Santa Barbara’s cultural traditions in a historical setting. Guests mingled throughout the grounds, and organizers emphasized the role that this event plays in bringing the spirit of Fiesta beyond just the downtown Santa Barbara area.
Old Spanish Days El Presidente Colin Hayward said Fiesta Ranchera has its roots dating back to the early 1960s and was founded by community leaders who wanted to expand Fiesta celebrations in Goleta. This year Fiesta runs Aug. 5-9.
“We want to get the Fiesta spirit in the middle of Goleta as often as we can,” Hayward said. “People in Goleta, Santa Barbara, the whole South Coast area, were all part of the same family.”
Hayward said the event was a collaborative fundraiser between Old Spanish Days and the Goleta Valley Historical Society, with proceeds benefiting both organizations.
“It’s a fundraiser for both the Goleta Valley Historical Society as well as Old Spanish Days,” Hayward said.
The partnership allows for organizations to celebrate local history and sustain one of Santa Barbara’s oldest, most recognizable cultural traditions.
Hayward, who is currently serving as El Presidente for the 2026 Fiesta Season, said that the theme this year, “Fiesta Forever,” reflects the commitment the organization has to preserving traditions and ensuring they continue this on for future generations.
“The traditions of the past are just as important as the traditions that we’re maintaining and keeping going,” Hayward said. “All of us who are on the board now, we’re standing on their shoulders and continuing on the traditions and the culture.”
Throughout the evening, attendees enjoyed the festive atmosphere as music filled the grounds and community members gathered to celebrate the region’s heritage.
Among those attending was Pedro De La Cruz, the artist selected to create the 2026 Old Spanish Days Fiesta poster.
De La Cruz said he was chosen after Hayward visited his studio and viewed his work. Each year, the sitting El Presidente selects an artist whose work reflects the spirit and traditions of Fiesta.
The poster, which will help promote Fiesta 2026, represents De La Cruz’s connection to Santa Barbara’s culture and history.
“It means a lot,” De La Cruz said when asked what Fiesta traditions represent to him. “It’s history. It’s family.”
He said the enduring appeal of Fiesta comes from its ability to unite people across generations and backgrounds.
“Tradition is community coming together again and again for each other,” De La Cruz said. “Unity.”
The evening emphasized the historical roots and the evolution of Fiesta, which continues to remain one of Santa Barbara’s most anticipated annual celebrations.
Organizers have also been introducing new events in recent years in an effort to engage broader audiences while maintaining longstanding traditions.
For Hayward, that balance between honoring the past and looking toward the future is at the heart of this year’s theme.
As locals mingled under the oak trees at Rancho La Patera, it was clear that although Fiesta may come later this summer, its spirit has already ignited across the Southern coast.
With the 2026 theme “Fiesta Forever,” organizers hope events like Fiesta Ranchera will continue to celebrate the traditions, culture and sense of community that have defined this celebration for generations.
