Santa Barbara Harbor & Seafood Festival

The Santa Barbara Harbor and Seafood Festival is a gathering on Harbor Way that celebrates the Santa Barbara Channel catch and the commercial fishermen who land it, timed to the opening of lobster season. The harbor is a working harbor where more than 100 commercial fishermen land millions of pounds of seafood a year and add $30 million to the local economy. Visitors can meet fishermen, buy local lobster, crab, and sea urchin uni, and eat fish tacos, oysters, mussels, barbecued albacore, clam chowder, and seafood paella. Live music, maritime education, boat rides, children's activities, vessel tours, and merchant goods fill out the day. The City of Santa Barbara Waterfront Department presents it with the Harbor Merchants' Association and the Commercial Fishermen of Santa Barbara, Inc.

Our take: Eat the uni, lobster, and barbecued albacore from the fishermen and food booths, then take a boat ride to see the working harbor.