May is here and there are lots of exciting things to do in Santa Barbara! Between Mother’s Day, Cinco de Mayo, and Memorial Day there are tons of reasons to come celebrate in beautiful Santa Barbara. If you are looking for a perfect event for the family, try the Children’s Festival in Alameda Park. Going into its 22nd year, the Children’s Festival admission and entertainment are completely free of charge, so everyone can enjoy pony rides, face painting, inflatable bouncers, and kid’s craft workshops.

May is also home to the Santa Barbara’s iMadonnari Festival at the Santa Barbara Mission; an incredible experience – not to be missed. Madonnari, or street painters, transform the Mission plaza using pastels on pavement to create 150 vibrant and colorful, large scale images. Santa Barbara is proud to be the first to bring this romantic festival to the western hemisphere from our sister festival in Grazie di Curtatone, Italy.

Lastly, there is Cinco de Mayo! Every year thousands of locals and tourists descend on De La Guerra Plaza for Santa Barbara’s annual Cinco de Mayo festival. Enjoy great food from vendors in the plaza and a full stage of live music all weekend!

These are just some of the wonderful reasons to visit Santa Barbara in May! Not to mention~the weather is GORGEOUS this time of year!! Call us today about booking one of our fabulous Vacation Rentals for you and your family! 805-845-1919. Please also visit www.sbexclusiverentals.com

The Summer Solstice Board of Directors has selected “Fantasy” for the theme for the 2012 event which will take place starting with the Festival Opening on Friday, June 22nd and Parade and Festival on Saturday, June 23rd and the Festival continuing through Sunday, June 24th.

This will be the 38th Annual Solstice Parade and it promises to be another creative masterpiece. Summer Solstice is a non-profit corporation that produces the Solstice Parade, Solstice Festival and the Solstice Community Arts Workshop from your donations and sponsorships of this organization. The Summer Solstice Parade features more than 1,000 parade participants, complete with extravagant floats, whimsical costumes and creatively choreographed dancing ensembles. From its beginnings as a small parade featuring street artists, the Santa Barbara Summer Solstice Celebration is now the premier Santa Barbara County arts event, drawing crowds of over 100,000 spectators from around the world.

At high Noon, on a Saturday near the longest day of the year, creative floats, fascinating costumes, brilliant masks begin their journey from Cota Street up State Street to Micheltorena, transforming downtown Santa Barbara into a vibrant splash of color, music and dance. People-powered floats reignite the creative spirit of Santa Barbara. The parade begins to arrive in Alameda Park a little past 1 PM, with final entry usually appearing after 2 PM. The Alameda Park Festival continues the celebration with live music by local and international artists; delicious foods and beverages from local restaurants, caterers and non-profit groups; an arts and crafts boutique with more than 75 artisans and craftsmen; a large “drum circle” formed by parade participants and anyone who cares to join in the beat. The wonderful floats from the parade are on display. A special children’s area featured a stage with storytellers, musicians, drama, and mimes. There is fun for all ages!

Summer Solstice is just another wonderful and fun reason to come visit beautiful Santa Barbara! Book one of our great vacation rentals and experience the Summer Solstice yourself! www.sbexclusiverentals.com