Film Center SBIFF
916B State Street,
Santa Barbara,
CA
93101
916B State Street,
Santa Barbara,
CA
93101
2 people
favorited this theater
Additional Info
Previously operated by: Metropolitan Theatres
Functions: Movies (Foreign), Movies (Independent)
Styles: Mission Revival
Previous Names: Fiesta 4, Fiesta 5
Nearby Theaters
Built in 1979 as the Fiesta Four Theatre, this was a reasonably plain first-run theatre. It became the Fiesta 5 in 1991. Metropolitan pretty much owns the town when it comes to theatres. They closed the Fiesta 5 on September 15, 2024.
It reopened as the Film Center SBIFF on November 15, 2024, operated by the Santa Barbara International Film Festival. It will undergo a major renovation in 2025.
Contributed by
David Cotner
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Recent comments (view all 8 comments)
I first saw this the outside of this theatre when it was relatively new, when passing through the city in about 1982. Back then, new theatres were the paragon of architectural dullness, but I remember being impressed by the Fiesta, as it had (and still has) a nice interpretation of an oldtime theatre marquee, complete with finials on the corners. No exposed neon or lightbulbs—all lighting hidden behind plastic—but not bad at all for the late 1970s. It blends-in well with the Spanish style architecture of downtown Santa Barbara, and the historic marquees of the Granada and Arlington theatres farther up State Street.
It’s one of the best theaters that I have been in. It’s really organized. I heard It’s gonna get remodel pretty soon too. You could tell that the manager keeps its theater very clean. They have great customer service. I do gotta say that there screens need to be replace. Fiesta 5 needs a new look. Not an 80’s look but a 2005 look. Out with the old and in with the new.
The renovations are almost done now. The seats are insanely comfortable, the sound is crisp and the screens are far wider than they use to be.
Here are two photos from October 2007:
http://tinyurl.com/37b5jk
http://tinyurl.com/32cyd2
A 2011 photo can be seen here.
Aparently Metropolitan Theatres closed the Fiesta 5 with no warning, last day of operation was 9/15/24. It was a cute little neighborhood theatre, image and sound were always spot on.
The Metropolitan Fiesta 5 Theatre closed September 13, 2024:
https://www.bigscreen.com/j/Santa-Barbara-CA-Metropolitan-Fiesta-5-Theatre-Closed/7829
It is expected to reopen November 15, 2024 under new management:
Santa Barbara, CA: Former Fiesta Theatre Opening Soon Under Film Festival Management [Nov 13, 2024]