SANTA BARBARA BOWL
The Bowl’s Intersection with Old Spanish Days
“Dashing caballeros… beauteous senoritas … spirited horses … lilting music … and Santa Barbara’s world famous Old Spanish Days celebration gets under way.”
-1936 Fiesta brochure
This colorful description, lifted from a recently discovered 1936 Fiesta brochure, still rings true 80 years later, as we kick off Old Spanish Days in Santa Barbara.
The Santa Barbara Bowl and Old Spanish Days/Fiesta have a long and spirited history together: the Bowl was originally built in 1936 as the home for the final pageant of Old Spanish Days.
Sam Stanwood, a longtime County Supervisor and Fiesta El Presidente from 1927-1947, spearheaded the construction and building of the Bowl in order to “give us for a place to put on our Fiesta pageant.”
His instructions included “two major objectives: First, the Bowl must be built to serve Fiesta with proper display features for the beautiful Palomino and Camarillo Arabian horses, and second, a revolving stage must be included to accommodate Charlie Pressley’s pageants.”
Yes, a revolving stage.
And, so it was.
By August 1936, the Bowl was ready for its debut. Pressley, managing director for Old Spanish Days and producer of the annual pageant, opened the 1936 Fiesta at the just completed Bowl with Memorias de Santa Barbara.
“The fiesta’s outstanding attraction will be the historical drama ‘Memorias de Santa Barbara,’ to be performed each evening of the celebration. The production, promising to be one of great appeal and charm, will christen the recently completed Santa Barbara County Bowl.”
Pressley also debuted his patented revolving stage — rumored to be largest in the world. The stage, which was of a significance size and showcased innovative mechanics, held lavish sets including dancers and horses in full regalia.
“A path was built from the top of the east side of the canyon to allow the torchlight procession of horses to wind slowly down the hill onto the stage — truly an unforgettable sight. The stage was huge to accommodate the revolving section and a grassy space provided between the audience and the stage for exhibitions of horsemanship.”
Every year thereafter, the Bowl played host to a three-day pageant, a highlight of each Fiesta. In 1938, Charles E. Pressley once again produced the pageant,
“In the great pageant-play, ‘Early California,’ performed each evening of Fiesta in the County Bowl, located in a cluster of scenic hills close to town, hundreds of talented Santa Barbarans portray episodes in the glamorous days of Spanish-California. Written and directed by Charles E. Pressley, it is presented on his patented revolving stage. As the horses with their glittering silver trappings wend their way down the moonlit hillside to assemble before the audience, it is a spectacular scene.”
At the start of WWII, activity was temporarily suspended at the Bowl, including the annual Fiesta pageants, but picked up post war with pageants and plays.
Today, the Bowl continues the tradition of Fiesta pageantry with the Santa Barbara Mariachi Festival held annually during Old Spanish Days. The Mariachi Festival, a non-profit organization, is dedicated to promoting and preserving the tradition of mariachi music and directing its revenues to provide scholarships that help further the education of Latino students.
Tickets are available for the 21st Annual Mariachi Festival, August 6, 2016 featuring Aida Cueva, Lila Downs, Mariachi Sol de Mexico, Mariachi Reyna de los Angeles, Mariachi Nuevo Tecalitlan
Viva La!
