“I had to find something that was important to Santa Barbara and to Fiesta, but that I could also speak about from the heart,” explains Denise Sanford about this year’s Old Spanish Days’ theme, “Celebrate Traditions.”
As this year’s La Presidenta, Denise is the leader of the 94th edition of Santa Barbara’s most enduring cultural festival, commonly just called Fiesta. She acknowledges the importance of this year’s event after the recent tragedies, and felt that the theme needed to be hopeful. “Fiesta shows the resilience of our community,” she shares. “We need to have something to look forward to.”
After 16 years on the Old Spanish Days board, Denise was tapped for the top role. “I don’t like to be in the limelight, but at a certain point, it’s about the organization,” she says. “It’s an honor to do it, and this year is more important than ever.”