In my opinion, the Goleta Lemon Festival (September 28-29) is the most creative response to the old adage, “When life gives you lemons.” Tracing back to the 1990s, the festival has a rich history supported by Goleta’s once-thriving lemon industry. (Fun fact: Goleta is the home of the first commercially known lemon orchard in California!) For UC Santa Barbara students today, the Goleta Lemon Festival is a back-to-school hallmark, the kickstart to the year with some fresh citrus foods and goods.

Despite the dreary weather that typically plagues Goleta this time of year, spirits have never been higher. In all my years of attending the festival, from sophomore to senior, I have never seen this many people at the festival (though that may just be my rose colored glasses talking). This being my last lemon festival, I wanted to do all the things I hadn’t done before for one last citrus-y hurrah. 

Though not a lemon dish, the festival’s classic potato swirl was the first thing I found myself craving, and after some casual perusal I landed on the hot and spicy flavor. I recommend splitting the potato swirl with a friend (or two) because when they say it’s a whole potato, they don’t mean a fingerling potato; they mean a colossal, russet-style potato. This festival food accentuates the best features of potatoes: perfectly crispy, starchy, hot and filling.

Now, after all that hot and spicy (which wasn’t all that spicy, to be completely honest), I needed a refreshing drink to wash it all down. And, after all, isn’t a lemon festival just a more entertaining, multifaceted lemonade stand? I gravitated towards the Rotary Club booth, where, for four dollars, you could purchase a small lemonade made with fresh Goleta lemons and pure cane sugar. I prefer a sweeter lemonade, for which this stand was perfect. I also found my friend’s matcha lemonade in my hands, sold curiously enough at a barbeque stand. It tasted like a green juice, but without the numerous health benefits. The matcha certainly dominated the lemonade, but when you’re at your last lemon festival, it’s hard for your mood to spoil. 

To top it all off, I snacked on a delicious lemon churro (supposedly award winning, though I’m not sure from where; it certainly wins an award in my books, though). The crisp, delicious chewiness of a regular churro salted with granular lemon sugar gave it a surprising freshness that I quite enjoyed. If there’s anything this festival teaches you, it’s that many things can be lemon flavored, even the most unexpected (see lemonade above).

On the way out, we were able to grab a photo with Zesty (the festival mascot, a comical lemon). I left the festival with my belly full of lemony goods and my heart with that inimitable Goleta spirit.

It’s only hitting me now, as I recall the entirety of the festival, that it perfectly sums up how my years at UCSB have passed so far. No matter the weather, rain or shine, we here in Goleta and Isla Vista always show up, show out and stick together. 

Oh, Goleta Lemon Festival, you will certainly be missed.

A version of this article appeared on p. 11 of the October 2, 2025 edition of the Daily Nexus.