"We've also moved to a legendary and exclusive location not open to the public any longer." That is Shelby Sim, CEO of Visit the Santa Ynez Valley, in the Santa Barbara Independent this July. He was describing Friday night of this year's Taste of the Santa Ynez Valley, the October 1 to 4 food-and-wine weekend his organization produces.
The sentence sums up the Valley's October. Since Taste launched in 2019, it has been known for long communal tables running down the streets of Los Alamos and Los Olivos. This year most of its ticketed events are on grounds that are usually closed. The free, town-run events now hold the downtown streets. That includes the first Santa Ynez Art Walk and a month of Solvang Halloween events.
Where the Taste Weekend Now Sits
According to the Independent, the street takeovers that made Taste famous have "evolved in recent years." Thursday's Los Alamos kickoff dinner has moved into the garden of the 1880 Union Hotel. This year Los Olivos and Santa Ynez stopped hosting separate dinners and combined them into one Friday night event at Santa Ynez Ranch, the former home of Bridlewood Winery.
| Day | Setting | What the Independent reported |
|---|---|---|
| Thursday, Oct. 1 | 1880 Union Hotel garden, Los Alamos | Each course comes from a different restaurant. Wine tasting beforehand at The Maker's Son, after party at the 1880 Speakeasy next door |
| Friday, Oct. 2 | Santa Ynez Ranch | Combined Los Olivos and Santa Ynez dinner, cooked by Bar Le Côte, Los Olivos Wine Merchant Café, Hitching Post 2, Lucky Penny and Willows |
| Saturday, Oct. 3 | Second Street, Solvang | Street dinner, with wine tasting beforehand in the Festival Theater garden. New this year, an afterparty on the theater stage with drinks from Rock12 Distillery |
| Sunday, Oct. 4 | Buellhouse at Zaca Creek Tavern, Buellton | Brunch with food stations, wines from the Sta. Rita Hills, and live music |
Solvang's Second Street is now the only street dinner left on the schedule, and even that night ends on the open-air stage of the Festival Theater. "How cool will it be to party on the actual open-air theater stage?" Sim said. Sunday changed for practical reasons. After five years, Sim found that a closing Sunday-night dinner was a hard sell. He replaced it with brunch at what he called "a historical, beautiful, and rarely seen Buellton location."
The daytime events also take place on private working land. On Friday morning you can ride horses with Vino Vaqueros at Demetria Estate or tour three farms with Heritage Farmland & Flavors. Saturday includes a cowboy breakfast with horse and hay-wagon rides at Alisal Ranch, ziplining with Highline Adventures, a vineyard tour led by Keith Saarloos of Saarloos & Sons, and the annual "Franc & Blanc" tasting of the Valley's best cabernet francs, chenin blancs and sauvignon blancs. Friday's pours also include Glasrose, a nonalcoholic drink made by the owners of Santa Ynez Ranch. The Independent notes that many Taste events sell out well ahead of time. Details are at TasteSYV.com.
Downtown Santa Ynez Holds an Art Walk
On Friday, October 2, the same night as the Santa Ynez Ranch dinner, the Santa Ynez Chamber of Commerce launches its first Santa Ynez Art Walk. The Santa Ynez Valley News reports that it is free and self-guided. More than 25 businesses will each show an artist they chose, during regular business hours, through October 11. The work includes painting, sculpture, pottery, handcrafted silver jewelry, leather, one-of-a-kind hats, and what the organizers call the art of creative cocktails.
Opening-night gatherings run across downtown from 4 to 7 p.m., with whiskey tastings, live DJs and artist demonstrations. The businesses taking part that night include Artiste Winery and Gallery, Denee's Interiors, KJ Murphy, Charlotte's, Forage Floral, SYV Pantry, MER, Perch Lifestyle, Valley Girl, and the Santa Ynez Historical Museum and Carriage House.
The rest of the Art Walk schedule:
- Saturday, Oct. 3. The Santa Ynez Little Branch Library hands out craft packets for children, and Denee's Interiors sets out chalk so kids can draw in its courtyard.
- Tuesday, Oct. 6 and Saturday, Oct. 10. Old Mission Santa Inés offers two free tours of its 18th-century artwork.
- Thursday, Oct. 8. Forage Floral hosts a figure-drawing workshop.
The Mission tours echo the Taste weekend in one way, since they also center on a historic property, but they are free and sit right in town. The full schedule is at santaynezca.com/art-walk-2026.
Solvang's October Calendar
The Taste weekend falls in the same window as Solvang's own calendar. On Sunday, October 4, The Center holds a Solvang-style Oktoberfest fundraiser from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Solvang Theaterfest Garden, 420 Second St. That is the same block where Saturday's dinner takes place.
The Santa Ynez Valley News lists the rest of the month:
- Friday, Oct. 2. Spooktacular Cinema in the Park. Solvang Parks and Recreation screens "The Nightmare Before Christmas" at sunset. Bring a blanket.
- Saturday, Oct. 3. Wicked Wheels, a classic car show put on by the Vikings of Solvang. Proceeds go toward the group's help with medical needs in the Valley.
- Saturday, Oct. 10. A PG-13 paranormal investigation at the Solvang Festival Theater from 10 to 11:30 p.m., including the stage, backstage corridors and dressing rooms.
- Sunday, Oct. 11. The Kids & Pets Halloween Parade and Harvest Celebration at Solvang Park, 1630 Mission Dr., from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The parade starts at 11 a.m. and is followed by a pet costume contest. Adoptable animals from the Santa Ynez Valley Humane Society will be on site.
- Oct. 16 to 18. Adult trick-or-treating at eight wineries in downtown Solvang, Los Olivos and Buellton. Tickets are $40, and costumes are required.
- Oct. 23 and 24. A Haunted House at the Solvang Festival Theater.
In the same paper's listing, the theater appears three times this month. It hosts Taste on October 3, then a ghost tour, then a haunted house. Theaterfest's box office is at 805-686-1789.
Two more events run all month. Solvang's 17th annual Scarecrow Fest runs October 1 to 31. The Solvang Farmer Pumpkin Patch at 1035 Alamo Pintado Road opened September 25 and is listed as open through Halloween. Danish Days, the 89th, already took place September 18 to 20.
This Year's Openings Follow the Same Pattern
The new and returning businesses of 2026 also lean toward reopened historic places. The biggest is the 1880 Union Hotel at 362 Bell St. in Los Alamos. It was closed to the public for about a decade. Voyj Travel took over the property in fall 2025, and it hosted weddings and some local saloon nights before its public overnight return. The Independent reported that this return was planned around Spring Wine Weekends starting April 10. The reopened hotel has nine guest rooms, a saloon, gardens, and overnight stays tied to local wineries. Its garden is now where Taste's Thursday dinner is held.
In Los Olivos, the Lucky Penny opened a branch at 2902 San Marcos Ave. Noozhawk's January preview expected an April opening. KEYT confirmed it was open by June 12 and introduced General Manager Morgan Gray and Chef Sixto. The menu includes pizza, breakfast, salads and McConnell's ice cream. The restaurant cooks one of the courses at Friday's Santa Ynez Ranch dinner.
A few blocks away, winemaker and owner Ashkahn Shahparnia opened the Ashkahn Wines tasting room in June at 2446 Alamo Pintado Ave., Suite B, according to the Independent.
Solvang's newest addition is Analogue Room at 1693 Mission Drive. It combines a listening lounge, a wine and record shop, a bar and a pizza kitchen. Founder John Wright and chef Joseph Blanchard run it with a focus on local wine. The Independent's August 18 story said it had opened about a month earlier.
One more change is coming but not finished. On September 22, Lompoc Donuts announced a second location at 252 E. Highway 246, Suite C, in Buellton, in the space currently used by Drover's Doughnuts. Edhat reported that no opening date has been given, and Drover's had not announced its own plans as of September 23.
After the First Weekend
The second half of the month brings the Santa Barbara Vintners Festival Grand Tasting on Saturday, October 17, at Firestone Estate, 4875 Foxen Canyon Road. More than 70 wineries and more than 25 food vendors are expected.
Buellton Fall Fest follows on November 6 to 8, with free admission, two music stages, carnival rides, and food and merchant vendors.
Before then, the Haunted House on October 23 and 24 is the last Festival Theater event on Solvang's October calendar.
Several of this October's settings are old Valley properties given new uses, including the 1880 Union Hotel, the former Bridlewood grounds and the Buellhouse. If you are thinking about the future of a Valley property with that kind of history, whether you own it or are its trustee, Grubb Campbell Real Estate offers careful, discreet advice on its value and next steps. Schedule a Confidential Consultation.
