The doors to the Old Mission Santa Barbara swung open shortly after 8 p.m. Wednesday, revealing this year’s Spirit of Fiesta, Jenna Ramirez, who opened La Fiesta Pequeña with a dazzling dance performance full of energy and a confident attitude.

Hundreds of people gathered at the Mission on Wednesday night to watch Ramirez and several other dancers and musicians take to the stage to celebrate the start of the city’s annual Old Spanish Days Fiesta celebration.

“You’ve not seen that kind of artistry and confidence and dedication,” Santa Barbara Mayor Randy Rowse said after Ramirez and Junior Spirit Penelope “Penny” Hernandez performed.

“You see that rarely, so those young women deserve a huge round of applause,” he said.

Longtime attendees may have noticed a few changes to La Fiesta Pequeña. For example, usually the Spirit and Junior Spirit perform about midway through the show, but this year, Ramirez was the first dance performance, followed by Hernandez.

Ramirez, 19, is a Santa Barbara City College student who has been dancing since she was 2 years old. Hernandez, 10, attends Our Lady of Mount Carmel School and has been dancing since she was 3 years old.

Hours before dancers hit the stage, hundreds of people set up chairs and blankets around the Mission and Rose Garden, enjoying a sunset picnic with food and drinks.

Vendors sold trinkets, accessories, and confetti eggs. One of the vendors, Julia Ortega, said she has been selling flower hair clips and confetti eggs at La Fiesta Pequeña for 20 years.

“It’s a family tradition,” she said.

Ortega began setting up a booth across the street from the Mission when her son was a little boy, and she comes back each year with her adult children and grandchildren.

She even makes her own confetti eggs, spending about 20 minutes on each egg as she paints on mustaches and gives them little hats.

Paulina Pulido said she spent about two weeks making more than 1,000 confetti eggs for Fiesta.

“It’s fun. It’s like therapy to me,” she said.

Pulido has been attending Fiesta for 17 years and said she enjoys seeing the dancing and kids enjoying the confetti eggs.

“It’s a lot of fun to see people that I haven’t seen for a long time,” Pulido said. 

The crowd’s excitement grew as the sky darkened and the Mission lit up, waiting for the show to kick off.

“If you live here, you’re home; if you’re here visiting with us, this week you’re home,” Rowse said to the crowd.

After Ramirez performed, Father Joe Schwab welcomed the crowd to the Mission and said a blessing.

“We want everyone to have a great time,” Schwab said. “We ask God’s blessing upon you.”

The evening was also full of mariachi music, including a performance before and during the show from Mariachi Gallos de Oro, a Ventura County-based group.

One Fiesta tradition includes a portrayal of Santa Barbara’s patron saint, Saint Barbara, who is portrayed this year by Julie Herrera Foley, a Sutter Health employee.

She was joined on stage by the Saint Barbaras from years past, coming from a variety of years between 1963 and 2019.

“This is a day where we all can be proud to be Santa Barbarians,” 2026 El Presidente Colin Hayward said. “Everybody from out of town as well, please recognize that you’re part of the history of Fiesta forever.”