The Santa Barbara South Coast Chamber of Commerce has announced the return of the Goleta Lemon Festival, celebrating 30 years, presented by Rusty’s Pizza, 10 a.m.-6 pm. Sept. 30 and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Oct. 1, at Girsh Park.

The Goleta Lemon Festival celebrates the history and role lemon harvesting has in the region. Around 1875, Sherman Patterson Stow, of Goleta’s Rancho La Patera, planted the first known commercial lemon orchard in California, numbering 3,000 trees.

In this way lemons became the first irrigated agricultural commodity of the Goleta Valley.

What started as a small street festival in 1949, the Goleta Lemon Festival has grown to attract more than 40,000 residents, visitors, nonprofits, community leaders, and elected officials celebrating the South Coast and the Goleta community.

The festival is Goleta’s largest community event of the year, hosting more than 80 booths featuring local nonprofit groups, crafts, lemony foods and beverages, and lemon-themed souvenirs.

Applications for vendors are now open. Visit LemonFestival.com/vendorapplications/.

Lemon Festival features include:

  • Community West Bank Food Court offering such treats as lemonade, lemon tacos, lemon bars, and Rusty’s pizza.
  • The Signature Flight Support Lemon Lounge will offer lemon ale and local wines.
  • Live entertainment from the American Riviera Bank Main Stage with a variety of musical styles, including rock, country, blues, and R&B. Headliner, Area 51 will be on stage Saturday afternoon.
  • An all-inclusive activity wristband for endless rides and games including archery tag, inflatable bubbles, and obstacle courses at the Santa Barbara Airport Kids Zone. Pre-purchase an activity wristband for a $5 savings at LemonFestival.com.
  • Safety Street, presented by ExxonMobil, the largest interactive display of fire, police, and emergency services in the county. Meet the people who help keep the community safe, and get an up-close look at their state-of-the-art vehicles and technologies. Attendees are also invited to meet the Sheriff’s Mounted Enforcement Unit.
  • The 16th Annual Goleta Fall Classic Car Show (Saturday only) presented by Santa Barbara Honda, showcasing a variety of cool classic cars ranging from Corvettes and Camaros to trucks and pick-ups, along with motorcycles and bicycles. If you have a Classic you would like to enter, registration is now open; visit LemonFestival.com/goleta-fall-classic/.

The festival depends on its volunteers, ages 14 and up, who spend time planning the festival and helping over the weekend. Applications for volunteers are now being accepted, visit LemonFestival.com for volunteer opportunities.

Sponsors are:
Presenting Sponsor: Rusty’s Pizza.
Main Squeeze Sponsors: American Riviera Bank, Community West Bank, Cox Communications, ExxonMobil, GoGoleta, MarBorg Industries, Rincon Broadcasting, Santa Barbara Airport, Signature Flight Support, Scale Microgrid Solutions, Spectrum Reach, Visit Santa Barbara.
Lemon Slice Sponsors: BlueStar Parking, Goleta West Sanitary, Ice in Paradise, Courtyard by Marriott, Residence Inn by Marriott, Santa Barbara Honda, The Berry Man, Inc.
Lemon Zest Sponsors: American Indian Health Services, American Medical Response, Chevron, Complete Care at Home, Culligan Water, Cumulus Radio Station, EdHat.com, Goleta Sanitary District, Goleta Water District, Good Land Wine Shop & Bar, Hazelwood Allied Moving & Storage, KEYT/KKFX/NEYT, KJEE, KRAZy Country, KSBY, Latitude 34 Technologies, NatureTrack Film Festival, Noozhawk, Planet Fitness, Polar Seltzer, Por La Mar Nursery, Ramada by Wyndham Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara Independent, Santa Barbara Metropolitan Transit District, Tammy Dobrotin State Farm, Teledyne FLIR, The Ritz-Carlton Bacara, The Towbes Group, UC Santa Barbara, Univision, Ventura Rental Party & Events, Vitalant.
Event Supporters: Anna’s Bakery, Bright Event Rentals, Camino Real Marketplace, Foundation for Girsh Park, Granite Construction, Hollister Brewing Co., homegrown graphics, JANO Printing & Mailworks, Jay Farbman Photography, Lucidity Collaborative Events, M.Special Brewing Co., Pacific Beverage Company, Page Youth Center, Santa Barbara Cider Co., Tri-Valley Trophies & Specialties.

The Goleta Lemon Festival is organized by the Santa Barbara South Coast Chamber of Commerce, from Goleta to Carpinteria. For more about Santa Barbara South Coast Chamber of Commerce, visit sbscchamber.com.