Santa Barbara events this week: 25 September – 2 October 2026
It is a quieter stretch in Santa Barbara, with 2 events on this week, which makes choosing easy. Most of them are concerts and events. Here is what is on, who it suits and how to plan your days out.
For music fans
There is one pick: Alabama Shakes w/ Tyler Ballgame at Santa Barbara Bowl (Friday, 19:00).
Something different
There is one pick: Scott Galloway at Arlington Theater (Friday, 19:30).
Planning your days out
Most start between 19:00 and 19:30, which leaves time for dinner first. All of them are within 3 km of the center.
Santa Barbara this week: quick answers
What’s on in Santa Barbara this week?
2 events, including Alabama Shakes w/ Tyler Ballgame at Santa Barbara Bowl and Scott Galloway at Arlington Theater.
Where to go in Santa Barbara: events, concerts and shows worth your night
Santa Barbara is a small city with a big-city concert calendar: a hillside amphitheater that touring artists ask to play, three historic theaters on one downtown street, and a summer of outdoor music by the ocean. Below is where to go in Santa Barbara for a night out, with addresses, and what tends to be on when.
Concerts and live music in Santa Barbara: the Bowl and State Street
The Santa Barbara Bowl (1122 N Milpas Street, sbbowl.com), a 4,500-seat amphitheater built into the hills above the city with the ocean behind the stage, runs from spring to fall and draws the tours that would otherwise skip a city this size; the top rows have the best view. Downtown, the Arlington Theater (1317 State Street), a 1931 Spanish-style movie palace with a painted sky ceiling, takes the mid-sized concerts and the film festival, and the Granada Theater (1214 State Street, granadasb.org) hosts the Santa Barbara Symphony, Opera Santa Barbara, State Street Ballet and touring Broadway. SOhO Restaurant & Music Club (1221 State Street, upstairs in Victoria Court) has live music most nights of the week.
Santa Barbara nightlife: State Street and the Funk Zone
Lower State Street and the blocks around it are the bar strip, with live music at SOhO and a handful of clubs that close at 2 am. The Funk Zone, between State Street and the beach, is the newer scene: wine tasting rooms, breweries and small stages in former warehouses, busiest on weekend afternoons and evenings. The city is walkable from the waterfront to the Arlington, and the electric shuttle runs the length of State Street.
Theater and dance in Santa Barbara
The Lobero Theater (33 E Canon Perdido Street, lobero.org), California’s oldest continuously operating theater, opened in 1873 and rebuilt in 1924, stages jazz, chamber music, dance and comedy in a 600-seat room where every seat is close. The Ensemble Theater Company at the New Vic on Chapala Street is the resident professional theater, and the Granada takes the ballet and the touring musicals. UCSB Arts & Lectures brings the international names in music, dance and speaking to the Granada and the Arlington through the academic year.
Museums and galleries in Santa Barbara
The Santa Barbara Museum of Art (1130 State Street) reopened in 2021 after a renovation, with a collection that runs from Monet to contemporary photography, and is free on Thursday evenings. The Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara (653 Paseo Nuevo, upstairs) is free and shows emerging artists, and the Funk Zone galleries open late on the first Thursday of each month with the downtown art walk.
Santa Barbara festivals and events by season
- Winter: the Santa Barbara International Film Festival in February, with premieres and tributes at the Arlington, and the Parade of Lights in the harbor in December.
- Spring: the Santa Barbara Bowl season opening in April, and the Earth Day festival at Alameda Park.
- Summer: the Summer Solstice Parade in June, Old Spanish Days Fiesta in early August, with free performances at the courthouse and the Mission, and free concerts on the beach at Chase Palm Park.
- Fall: the symphony, opera and ballet seasons opening at the Granada in October, and the last Bowl shows of the year.
Things to do in Santa Barbara tonight and this weekend
The listings above are the live version of all this: every concert, show, club night and exhibition on in Santa Barbara tonight, tomorrow and this weekend, with times, prices and tickets, updated every hour.
