We are going all out to celebrate holiday lights going on for the first time along Hollister Avenue in Old Town on Thursday November 7, 2024. Join us from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. for an exciting night to commemorate this special moment in Goleta history. We can’t wait to be with you in front of the Goleta Community Center (5679 Hollister Avenue) for the big reveal and dance under shooting star displays on the light posts wrapped in garland. This free event is so big that Mr. and Mrs. Claus are flying in from the North Pole to be here at our photo booth to help you get your holiday photos done early. The event will also mark the beginning of the GoodLandGoodShopping season and more than one dozen Old Town businesses are opening their doors with special offerings just for you!

Here is a timeline of events and activities:

• 5:00 p.m. – DJ Darla Bea (voted by best DJ of 2024 in SB Independent Reader’s Poll) will kick off the night playing dance music under the Goleta Community Center (GCC) gazebo.
• Cookies and hot cocoa served courtesy of Holdren’s Steak and Seafood Restaurant.
• Photo booth open for photos with Mr. and Mrs. Claus (take your photo home with you!).
• 5:15 p.m. – Announcements from Mayor Paula Perotte, 2^nd District Councilmember James Kyriaco and Ed Holdren from the Greater Goleta Santa Barbara Lions Club. Spanish interpretation available.
• 5:30 to 5:45 p.m. – Darkness falls and lights go on! Applause everyone!
• Dance party and photo booth continues until 7:00 p.m.
• 6:00 p.m. – GoodLandGoodShopping begins with a Holiday Stroll down Hollister Avenue with businesses who have opened their doors special for this occasion. See list of participating businesses here.
• Shop EveryTown will have a table at the GCC and a fun Holiday Lights challenge to encourage you to shop local this holiday season. Come by the table to see how to download the free mobile app and support local economy. Businesses can enroll and create a free profile by going to https://shopeverytown.com/business-portal/.

This Holiday Lights event is exactly one month before the return of the beloved Old Town Goleta Holiday Parade on December 7^th at 6:00 p.m. A big thank you to the Greater Goleta Santa Barbara Lions Club for securing the necessary funding to bring us this holiday lights project, which would not have been possible without the generous support from the Goleta Valley Community Center Organization (GVCC). 

For parade details go to https://goletaholidayparade.org/. If you haven’t signed up to be in the parade or help volunteer, there will be a sign-up table. Make sure to hug and thank the Lions Club and even better, consider joining the group yourself.

We can’t wait to see you on November 7th for this exciting Holiday Lights event!

Mr. and Mrs. Claus

DJ Darla Bea

Holiday Stroll participating businesses