Now in its 55th year, the Santa Barbara Earth Day Festival will return to Alameda Park April 26-27. This year’s theme Our Power, Our Planet invites the world to unite behind renewable energy.

A white banner with green lettering welcomes people to the Community Environmental Council's 2024 Earth Day Festival at Alameda Park. (Courtesy photo)
The Community Environmental Council will host the 55th annual Earth Day Festival at Alameda Park. (Courtesy photo) Credit: Alissa Orozco / Noozhawk photo

Santa Barbara’s community-organized festival is one of the longest-running Earth Day celebrations in the country, and one of the largest Earth Day festivals on the West Coast.

Festival hours are 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturday, and 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Sunday.

Presented by the Community Environmental Council (CEC), and co-produced with longtime festival partner CarpEvents, the Santa Barbara Earth Day Festival continues to serve as a beacon for environmental advocacy and education.

“As we prepare for the 2025 Santa Barbara Earth Day Festival, we are reminded of Santa Barbara’s deep-rooted legacy as a pioneer in the environmental movement,” said Kathi King, CEC’s director of outreach and education.

“Local action is so important, now more than ever,” she said. “We can make a difference in our communities, and the Earth Day Festival is the perfect place to connect with nonprofits and other groups doing great work locally.

“The Community Environmental Council is honored to continue the tradition of active community engagement that allows us  to foster deeper connections with our environment and to drive meaningful action towards a sustainable future.”

This year, the festival is aligning with the Earth Day Network’s theme Our Power, Our Planet. The Earth Day Action Day encourages everyone to take action to educate, activate and mobilize.
 
The 2025 festival highlights include a plant-forward Food Court; Green Car show featuring free Ride & Drive’ experiences; some 200 eco-friendly exhibitors; Beer & Wine Garden; Kids Zone, and live music.

“In a year with so much turmoil, we are excited to focus our attention on what we can do here locally in our community to make a difference,” said Mike Lazaro of CarpEvents. “People need joy, community, and places to use their strengths to make an impact.

“The 55th Santa Barbara Earth Day festival will do just that with compelling lectures, education, nonprofit exposure, and create a great day of music, food and clean energy.

“This festival is more than just a weekend of activities; it’s a catalyst for change, inspiring attendees to adopt more sustainable lifestyles and to think more deeply about their role in environmental stewardship,” he said. “Our commitment is to produce an event that not only educates and entertains but also empowers every participant to make a positive difference in the world.”

Community members can stay updated on details of CEC’s Earth Day at www.SBEarthDay.org, and can get involved in a number of ways such as:

• Exhibit: Event registration for vendors is now open, for details visit SBEarthDay.org/exhibit.
• Sponsor: Some 60 eco-friendly businesses and organizations sponsor the festival each year. Learn how to support the festival at SBEarthDay.org/sponsor.
• Speak or Play: Have a cause you want to share with the community? Programming is underway for the Climate Action Stage stage to be filled with speakers and presentations from environmentally focused groups, as well as small, acoustic musical acts. Fill out this form to apply. 
• Follow on social media for updates.

Earth Day production partners and sponsors to date include: Bye Bye Mattress, Central Coast Clean Cities Coalition, City of Santa Barbara, Cox Communications, Dave’s Killer Bread, KEYT, KJEE, Learningden Preschool, MarBorg Industries, Santa Barbara Air Pollution Control District, Santa Barbara County Association of Governments, Santa Barbara Independent, and TV Santa Barbara.

For more about CEC, visit CECSB.org. For more on CarpEvents, visit Visit https://www.carpinteriaevents.com/.