The Summer Solstice Parade traces back to the mid-1970s. It started as a birthday celebration for Michael Gonzales, a beloved Santa Barbara artist, dancer and mime. It later joined forces with the Summer Solstice Music Festival sponsored by the Santa Barbara Museum of Art celebrating the longest day of the year.

Over the decades, the parade and festival have grown to become the largest event in Santa Barbara County. Every year it attracts more than 100,000 people from around the world. The parade itself is a huge carnivalesque street party with elaborate floats, giant puppets, whimsical costumes, colorful masks and more than 1,000 performers and other participants.

The festival takes place in Alameda Park over three days and features live performances by local artists, musicians and DJs. There is also a special kids festival, a drum circle that keeps the beat going late into the evening, along with food booths and trucks, a wine and beer garden, and an eclectic array arts and crafts vendors.

As a photographer, I started covering Solstice in 2005. I’m convinced there’s no better place to celebrate the longest days of the year. Below is a collection of my images dating back more than a decade.