Live music, grilled hot dogs, and sea salt filled the air at Santa Barbara’s waterfront as people celebrated America’s 250th anniversary.

Fourth of July celebrations included a free concert, and food vendors on Santa Barbara’s West Beach before fireworks lit up the sky. 

Live music played during a free concert throughout the day at the West Beach Bandstand, hosted by KEYT’s John Palminteri and Roger Perry, sponsored by the PARC Foundation.

Performances started at noon and lasted until the fireworks show. The lineup included performances from bands Rock Shop Academy, Peer Pressure, Love Pop, Kickin’ It, Looking West, The Other Woman, East Valley Rd, and False Puppet.

Rock & Roll 805 presented performances from four local children before the bands performed.

As music played, people relaxed on the beach, grilling hot dogs, playing games and counting down the hours until the fireworks show.

This year’s Spirit of Fiesta Jenna Ramirez and the Junior Spirit of Fiesta Penny Hernandez also performed in the afternoon.

On the Cabrillo Boulevard sidewalk at West Beach, people enjoyed food from Tink’s Old Fashioned Hot Dogs, G Brothers Kettle Corn,  Lidos Philly Cheese Steaks, Elubia’s Kitchen, Timbers Roadhouse, and Oakberry Acai.

After a day full of red, white and blue celebrations, a dazzling 20-minute fireworks show began around 9 p.m., presented by Garden State Fireworks and sponsored by the city’s Waterfront Department. 

Montecito Village Fourth

An estimated 4,000 people lined San Ysidro Road for the Montecito Association’s annual Village Fourth parade, known as “the world’s shortest Fourth of July parade.”

More than 40 parade entries traveled down San Ysidro Road from East Valley Road to Lower Manning Park, where Outta the Blue provided an afternoon of live music while food and drinks were served by Oak & Fire Barbecue, Lindsay’s Little Bakery, Rori’s Ice Cream, and a separate beer and wine garden.

The festivities included a sack race, a pie-eating contest and the annual tug-of-war between Cold Spring and Montecito Union schools. Montecito Union took home the coveted Montecito Cup after winning this year’s contest.

The parade was preceded by the popular annual community pancake breakfast hosted by the Montecito Fire Department and the Montecito Firefighters’ Association to benefit the Montecito Firefighters Charitable Foundation.