The Best Dam Dinner of the year is THIS Saturday, August 16 from 4:00 – 7:00 p.m. Celebrate the last weekend before school starts for many with friends and neighbors at the Lake Los Carneros Dam. Join us for this casual event in a beautiful setting.

What to Expect:

• Grab a seat at the tables and chairs set-up communal style along the dam with beautiful succulents placed on each table.
• Bring a picnic dinner or purchase food from A/R Catering serving mac and cheese, chicken, baby back ribs and more.
• Receive complimentary reusable utensil sets from the City of Goleta as part of our Plastic Free Goleta initiative. #GoGreenGoleta
• Listen to live music by local bluegrass group the Salt Martians.
• Visit the Library Bookvan where you can check out books, do a fun craft, sign up for a library card if you don’t already have one, or just say hello to library staff!
• Take your picture with one of our popular Dam Dinner photo frames.
• Enjoy free shaved ice compliments of Kona Ice.
• Bring your kids to get their faces painted at no charge.
• Purchase a commemorative Dam Dinner T-shirt.

How to Get There:

There are so many ways to get to the event: walk, ride, carpool, or take MTD’s “The Wave.” Enter the event from N. La Patera Lane or Stow House (304 N. Los Carneros Road) and greeters will direct you where to go. Wear walking shoes and bring a jacket in case it gets windy. Please do not bring pets, service animals are allowed.

We are excited to add a bike valet this year for those who want to ride to the event. The complimentary bike valet will allow attendees to ride their scooters, bikes or e-bikes to the event and have a safe and convenient place to park them. SB MOVE staff and volunteers will keep watch and help attendees retrieve their vehicles at the end of the event. The bike valet will be placed near the N. La Patera Lane entrance next to the A/R Catering food truck.

There is also Santa Barbara MTD’s The Wave on-demand microtransit service which can get you directly to Lake Los Carneros. The accessible vans pick up in a large part of Goleta (and a few spots in Isla Vista) and the service is currently free. It operates from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, just request your ride on the TransLoc app or by calling the Transit Center at 805-963-3366. More info: https://sbmtd.gov/thewave.

Goleta’s Dam Dinner is organized by the City of Goleta and Goleta Valley Historical Society with special thanks to Big Hammer Lures, Creekside Restaurant & Bar, Devereux, Fuel Depot & The Point Market, MarBorg, and the Santa Barbara South Coast Chamber of Commerce.

We hope you will be part of the #BestDamDinner THIS Saturday, August 16!

Mayor Paula Perotte at the 2024 Dam Dinner

Succulent centerpieces

Bring your own picnic dinner or purchase from the onsite food truck (A/R Catering)

A happy face painting customer