Watch Our Short Slideshow Video

Thanks to everyone who “kicked it with us” at the 2026 Goleta Lemon Festival on September 26 & 27! As usual, our City booth area was a hit with non-stop visitors throughout the two-day event. We enjoyed meeting the thousands of people who lined up to spin the wheel for a fun giveaway and those who were challenged to win a City of Goleta kick sack or FIFA soccer ball. Who knew how difficult it would be to complete our challenges? Watch our short video to see all the fun and check out photos from our booth as well. Thanks to everyone who made the booth fun including two of our Public Engagement Commissioners.

Other highlights from the weekend, the “How Many Lemon Drops Are in the Jar” contest was a popular attraction once again! Thanks to everyone who participated and congratulations to our young winners, Desmond “Desi” Schultheis (4 years old) and Crew Shirinian (9 years old), for having the closest guesses on Saturday and Sunday, respectively! Learn more about them on the City’s social media pages (@cityofgoleta).

The Goleta Valley Library booth area, located right next to the City booth, was bustling the entire weekend. Over 2,000 people came by for fun giveaways and to learn about GVL Express. In addition, more than 180 people took home a new library card during National Library Card Sign-Up Month.

Also, the City was pleased to have both Goleta CERT and Goleta Police represented and interacting with the community in the Safety Street area of the festival all weekend long.

While there were so many fun moments, one of the best parts, as always, was watching the pie-eating contests each day at noon. Thanks to our distinguished judges, including our Mayor, Councilmembers, and local dignitaries for having the tough job of deciding the winners. Finally, we want to congratulate and thank the Santa Barbara South Coast Chamber of Commerce for putting on another awesome Goleta Lemon Festival. We can’t wait till next year to do it all over again!