Fiesta Food Vendor Application

We are excited to celebrate the 103rd Annual Old Spanish Days Fiesta in Santa Barbara with you this year! Thank you for taking the time to apply to join us as a food and beverage vendor!

Deadline to Apply: July 1, 2026.

Instructions:

Please read the application carefully before filling out the form at the bottom of this page, even if you are a returning vendor.

Be sure you have all the required documents listed below ready to upload before completing this form.

This application will close on Wednesday, July 1st, 2026. No exceptions will be made. The sooner you apply, the better your location will be.

Select a Booth Location(s)

Use the map below to select your first, second, and third booth location(s) you wish to set up this year. There are no guarantees that we can place you in your desired location, but our team will do its best to accommodate your requests.

Non-Profit Affiliation

All food and beverage vendors must be an active Santa Barbara/Ventura County non-profit or be affiliated with an active Santa Barbara/Ventura County non-profit.

For-profit booths donating to an active non-profit must provide a contact name, phone number, tax ID #, a copy of the IRS 501(c)3 letter, and the donation amount to their non-profit.

If you are not affiliated with a non-profit, Old Spanish Days becomes your default non-profit. A minimum of 10% of gross sales must go to your non-profit.

Food and Beverage Product List

Below, please list ALL products you will sell. Please be specific when listing menu items. Example: "Beef and Cheese Burritos" means one burrito containing both beef and cheese, not beef burritos and cheese burritos. Please list individual items separately and fill in the ingredients. Thank you!

Please consider supporting Old Spanish Days' long-standing local sponsors Jordano's by purchasing their products for your food, beverage, and other supply needs during Old Spanish Days Fiesta.

Seller's Permit or Exemption

The State Board of Equalization requires all vendors selling taxable items to have a valid Seller's Permit number. No vendor selling taxable items will be allowed to sell at Fiesta without a valid seller's permit. Any questions regarding exemptions must go through the State Board of Equalization.

If you are claiming exemption, you will need to fill out, sign, and return the form BOE-410-D Rev 6. Please contact the Old Spanish Days office (805 962 8101) if you have any trouble retrieving this form.

Insurance Requirement

To participate in the Old Spanish Days Mercados, you must have adequate Commercial General Liability insurance with minimum coverage of $1,000,000 each occurrence/$2,000,000 aggregate, including Products and Completed operations. Policies must be written on an "occurrence" basis and not on a "claims-made" policy.

Old Spanish Days and the City of Santa Barbara must be named as Additional Insureds. The address for Old Spanish Days is P.O. Box 21557, Santa Barbara, CA 93121-1557. The address for the City of Santa Barbara is P.O. Box 1990, Santa Barbara, CA 93102-1990.

We encourage you to utilize your own resources for obtaining the required liability policy from your own insurance agent. However, you can purchase coverage under our insurance program for $98.00.

If you procure your own Insurance Coverage, you must provide 2 forms: 1) A Certificate of Insurance and 2) an Additional Insured Endorsement. Both forms should name "Old Spanish Days in Santa Barbara Inc., its officers, employees, and agents, and the City of Santa Barbara, its officers, employees, and agents" as additional insureds.

City of Santa Barbara Parking Lots

The City of Santa Barbara Downtown Parking handles vendor parking for Mercado De la Guerra. As the event approaches, they will mail parking permit information and applications to all De la Guerra vendors.

Parking in the City Lot is optional, but if you would like a discounted pass, you will need to purchase it directly from Downtown Parking. OSD does not handle parking permit purchases.

Passes for loading and unloading in Mercado De La Guerra will be mailed by Old Spanish Days in mid-July. All unloading passes from OSD cannot be used as parking passes; they are not recognized by police or parking attendants.

City of Santa Barbara Utilities

The City of Santa Barbara provides natural gas, water, and grey water (sewer) facilities throughout De La Guerra Plaza at various locations. These utilities are to be used and shared by all food and beverage vendors as needed, and you agree to be accommodating in allowing your neighboring vendors access to these utilities.

Booths located where a utility landscape box is present shall remit a security deposit of $500 to ensure the return of the gas and water valves, connectors, and hoses located within these utility boxes. This fee is required by the City of Santa Barbara, whether or not the vendor uses these utilities, and is required solely to ensure the proper return of the valves, connectors, and hoses provided by the City of Santa Barbara.

You must submit a separate $500 check for the Utility Deposit. This check will be held and returned to you in full after the city inspector has verified that all items have been returned.

Make sure to physically return all utility components to an OSD committee member at breakdown. All components (hoses, valves, connectors, etc.) supplied will be verified and documented as received. Failure to return components will result in forfeiture of this deposit and may affect your invitation to participate in the future.

City of Santa Barbara Electrical Compliance

The City of Santa Barbara provides electricity for De La Guerra Plaza, and the distribution is accomplished by the efforts of Old Spanish Days. The extension cords, distribution boxes, and connectors are provided by Old Spanish Days, and your assistance in ensuring their return is required. Electricity is to be used and shared by all food and beverage vendors as needed, and you agree to be accommodating in allowing your neighboring vendors access to these utilities.

12 GA ONLY or larger (the smaller the gauge number, the larger and safer the wire is). Anything under 12 GA may cause electrical shortages that will affect all booths.

Only commercial-grade/rated appliances allowed. Each vendor will only have access to four each 20 amp., 120 VAC circuits to run their equipment and should plan accordingly. No household appliances allowed; commercial-grade equipment/appliances ONLY (subject to inspection at any time throughout the event).

Food Vendors are now allowed to use Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG) AKA Propane. The use of LPG tanks will be subject to Fire Department inspection.

Old Spanish Days Procedures, Expectations, and Code of Conduct

By filling out this form, you agree to comply with Old Spanish Days standards and rules as set forth by the Mercado De La Guerra Committee, the Board of Directors of Old Spanish Days, the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department, and the City of Santa Barbara.

You further understand that Mercado De la Guerra is an invitation-only event, and the committee reserves the right to refuse participation of any person or organization at any time for any reason.

Health Department Compliance

As a food vendor for Old Spanish Days Fiesta, you are required to meet all the requirements of the Santa Barbara County Health Department.

California law requires the vendor to obtain a permit from Environmental Health. Additionally, all vendors (both for-profit and non-profit) authorized to be at the event must have a Health Permit issued by the Santa Barbara County Health Department.

Please review the Temporary Food Facility (TFF) Guidelines, https://content.civicplus.com/api/assets/4eecedf1-456b-4b98-ba31-b6b37a508590?cache=1800
Santa Barbara County Health Department will assist food vendors in providing safe food to the public by meeting the minimum standards of the State Health Code.

Please complete the Temporary Food Facility (TFF) Application at: https://content.civicplus.com/api/assets/ca-santabarbaracounty/88dac7df-c640-4763-8289-0a17ec575643?cache=1800

For more information on the Santa Barbara County Health requirements, please go to: https://www.countyofsb.org/2160/Temporary-Food-Facility

Please upload the completed TFF to this form no later than Friday, July 1, 2026. The vendor must cooperate with their inspections as requested. Failure to do so could result in the temporary or permanent shutdown by the County Health Department of your booth and may affect your invitation to return in the future.

A mandatory meeting will be held on Thursday, July 15, 2026, at 5:30 pm at the Carriage Museum at 129 Castillo Street. A Health Department Representative will give a complete presentation regarding rules, requirements, updates, and any concerns from previous years, as well as answer any questions you might have. Mercado Committee members will also be present to answer any questions.

In the case of cancellation, OSD will provide a refund of any paid booth space fees, or it may be retained on file for Fiesta 2027. OSD is not responsible for any fees incurred to participate in the Mercado De La Guerra.

No Refunds

Vendor space fees are non-refundable. As with any business venture, participation in the Mercado includes an inherent risk, and we make no guarantees regarding sales or profitability. We provide vendors with a space to operate, but ultimate success depends on many factors outside of our control. Our strict no-refund policy in this area ensures fairness and consistency for all participating vendors. This policy is standard practice for Old Spanish Days in Santa Barbara, and no exceptions are made.