The Grinch, in the form of a Christmastime permitting dispute, may have stolen the Santa Barbara Night Market from the downtown Macy’s building. But in its place has grown the Twilight Holiday Market at De la Guerra Plaza.
The 18-day event, which kicked off December 6 and runs ’til December 23, is hosting many of the Night Market’s 70 vendors who were left out in the cold after the cancellation. “One person should not have the power to affect so many people,” said Twilight Market coordinator Vashti Wilson of the previous organizer. “It was a community event, and now the community is moving it forward.”
While in the Air Force, Wilson traveled all over Europe, and that gave her the idea to move the affair outdoors. “With their lights and treats and music, open-air European markets are just so cozy and inviting,” she said. “I wanted to recreate that here. Plus, De la Guerra Plaza is so underutilized. It was the perfect spot.”