Thousands of people lined Santa Barbara’s waterfront streets to cheer, dance and celebrate the procession of horses, floats, marching bands and more as El Desfile Histórico arrived.

The annual Historical Parade was held on Friday along Cabrillo Boulevard to celebrate the 100^th anniversary of Old Spanish Days Fiesta.

The parade is one of the most popular events of the Old Spanish Days Fiesta and draws people from all across California. The event is described as one of the largest equestrian parades in the nation, with more than 600 horses.

One of the guests included Cindy Kavanagh, who was raised in Santa Barbara and now lives in San Jose with her family.

“I was raised here, so I bring my family down from San Jose every year to experience the traditions I experienced when I was child,” Kavanagh told Noozhawk.

Kavanagh says she has been bringing her family every year since the birth of her son and has made the trip 12 times. She says besides the historical parade, her favorite event is La Fiesta Pequeña.

While some attendees were returning to the event, others were visiting for the first time.

Lucia Kocher is visiting Santa Barbara from Palmdale. A friend encouraged her to go after they found out the superintendent of their school district was going to be in the parade.

“This is my first year, I love it,” Kocher told Noozhawk. “My friend mentioned it to me.”

The parade was a mix of different groups honoring Santa Barbara’s Spanish and Mexican heritage with music, mariachi bands, horse-drawn carriages, and floats representing different parts of the city’s culture.

While some horses pulled carriages or floats, some riders performed tricks with ropes for the crowd.

One of the first groups to make its way down the street was a group of dancers led by the 2024 Spirit of the Fiesta, Georgey Taupin. Taupin was chosen as the Spirit of the Fiesta Wednesday night during La Fiesta Pequeña at the Mission.

Old Spanish Days has been choosing Spirits of the Fiesta for 75 years.

To honor that history, the event also featured spirits and junior spirits from previous years. The group twirled their dresses and waved fans at the crowds who cheered them on.

Other groups represented local schools, such as a marching band carrying the letters of Santa Barbara High School. Another group consisted of the Oxnard High School Marching Band and Auxiliary.

Another theme of the parade was the various floats made by local groups.

One of the floats was made to look like Old Mission Santa Barbara and carried representatives from the mission.

Another float was designed to resemble a large stone tower, representing the story of Saint Barbara, the patron saint for whom the city is named. Riding the float was this year’s representative Saint Barbara adorned with a red cloak and a crown, and carrying a chalice and a feather.

The float is sponsored by the Reina del Mar Parlor of the Native Daughters of the Golden West. According to Robin Cedarlof, a member of the group, Reina del Mar Parlor has been sponsoring the Saint Barbara float since the beginning of the festival.

“It’s pretty remarkable actually. I don’t know of many organizations that have been putting on events [like this] across the country,” Cedarlof said. “Not just the parade, but La Fiesta Pequeña, the dancing at the courthouse. Between all the volunteers and performers, to me that’s pretty remarkable.”

Click through the gallery below to see all photos from Friday’s parade, courtesy of Fritz Olenberger.

Click here to learn more about Fiesta events happening this weekend.