The Flamenco Arts Festival to Return to Santa Barbara After a Long Hiatus

If, in the upcoming months, you begin to hear lively guitar and perhaps some passionate vocals while walking throughout Downtown Santa Barbara, don’t be alarmed, you have not been transported back in time to your last vacation to Spain. Rather, the renowned Flamenco Arts Festival (FAF) is back after a hiatus for the initiation of its much-anticipated 24th anniversary.

Vibiana, the president and cofounder of the FAF, speaks to the challenges that accompanied the FAF’s hiatus, noting, “Our first festival was in 2000, and soon after came 9/11, the housing crisis, a recession, a few fires, a mudslide, another recession, and a pandemic. Looking back, I never thought of the organization celebrating 24 years…. I am so proud of the current directors and those from the past who never lost sight of the mission of presenting world-class artists from Spain and the U.S., and celebrating cultural diversity in the arts.”

This year’s FAF will shift toward year-long events beginning with the renowned performer José Luis de la Paz taking on the New Vic Theater on Saturday, May 6, with Adolfo Herrera, Magela Herrera, and Ana Bermudez, and will be followed by several events on August 4 at the Lobero Theatre, just in time for its 150th anniversary celebration.