Santa Barbara Bowl – One More Reason To Live in Santa Barbara

The Santa Barbara Bowl – A Bit of History

The Santa Barbara Bowl has a long history of bringing entertainment and fun to our City. The Bowl was one of many public works projects funded after the Great Depression by the Works Projects Administration (WPA).

In its early days it served as part of the Old Spanish Days celebration and a venue for local schools to hold music events and plays. In the 1960’s the Santa Barbara Bowl played host to it’s first major concert featuring Vanilla Fudge.

Historical records on the Santa Barbara Bowl website suggest there was a lot of controversy over the use of the Bowl as a concert venue. Over time, approval was made to allow for concerts to be held. Since then, the bowl has become one of top concert venues in America.

Who Has Performed At the Santa Barbara Bowl?

The list of top musicians and comedians who have played the bowl is truly a whos who of performers. Below are but a few:

• Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young
• Jimmy Buffett
• Bob Marley
• Bob Dylan
• B-52’s
• Santana
• Joannie Mitchell
• Luminareers
• Slightly Stupid
• Red Hot Chili Peppers
• Steve Miller
• Steely Dan
• Katy Perry
• Norah Jones
• Robbin Williams
• Little River Band
• Seal
• Alan Parsons
• Jack Johnson and so many more

The Santa Barbara Bowl Today

In the early 2000’s, the Bowl went through some major renovations. Additional seating was added, food and beverage offerings expanded and much more.

Today, the bowl seats just over 4500 people in reserved and non-reserved sections. Most all agree, there are no bad seats and still retains its feeling of intimacy, something missing is far too many major concert venues.

If you read the reviews on Yelp and other sites, you’ll find much praise for our special bowl. The acclaim is enough to make any Santa Barbara resident proud. People love the venue itself, the people who work there, the vibe of the City and so on. Here is just one of the hundreds of reviews:

HOLY. FISHIN. SHIPS. I have no other words to explain how great this place is for a venue. Intimate, clean, and vibrant, this place has beaten my expectations for a good venue. It’s a GREAT live experience that you can’t miss if you going to hear your favorite artists. If you get the chance, GO.

Where is The Santa Barbara Bowl?

The Bowl is located on the east side of town near the intersection of Milpas and Anapamu. There is parking just off Milpas. Visitors can walk up the mildly rising hill or catch a shuttle to the top where they will be happily greeted by the Bowl’s staff.

You can make a full night at the Santa Barbara Bowl with lots of food and beverage options as well as great entertainment. Food items range from a dog or slice of Rusty’s Pizza for 4 bucks to salads, cheese plates or a Mediterranean Platter. A fine selection of both local and import beers and wine can be had as well as non-alcoholic drinks.

We’d love to hear what your favorite concert has been at the Bowl and any other thoughts you have to share.

The Bowl and Living In Santa Barbara

When we are helping people thinking about making the move to our area, we often talk about the Bowl. It is definitely one of the long list of things that make life great here. Talking about making life great, if we can help you, a friend or family member have a fantastic real estate experience, we are here, live on stage and ready.

Joe Parker and Garrett McCaw
The Santa Barbara Group at Berkshire Hathaway HSCP