Venue: Lobero Theatre
Address: 101 to the Carrillo Street
Town: Santa Barbara, US
Capacity: 604

The Lobero Theatre is a historic performing arts theater in Santa Barbara, California. Founded in 1873 by José Lobero, it is California's oldest continuously operating theater.The original opera house was replaced in 1924 by the present theater, designed by George Washington Smith and Lutah Maria Riggs in the Spanish Colonial Revival style. Throughout its history, the Lobero has served as a center for theater, music, film, and civic events in Santa Barbara. Performers appearing at the theater have included Clark Gable, Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Igor Stravinsky, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Paul Robeson, Marian Anderson, Dave Brubeck, and Bing Crosby. In 2023, Architectural Digest included the theater on its list of the world's eleven most beautiful theaters. Giuseppe Lobero was born in Genoa, Italy, and immigrated to San Francisco during the California Gold Rush in the early 1850s. A trombone player by trade, Lobero performed in San Francisco philharmonic orchestras before relocating to the small coastal town of Santa Barbara. After arriving in predominantly Hispanic Santa Barbara, he adopted the name "José" and became proprietor of the Brewery Saloon at the corner of State and Canon Perdido streets. Lobero also organized a brass band that performed in local parades and funeral processions. During the mid-nineteenth century, Santa Barbara was transitioning from a small former Mexican pueblo into an increasingly Americanized commercial town. Public entertainment in the city was limited, and theatrical performances, lectures, and musical programs were often held in temporary or improvised venues. Recognizing the community's growing desire for cultural and civic gathering spaces, José Lobero obtained financing in 1871 from civic leader Colonel William Hollister to convert an adobe schoolhouse on East Canon Perdido Street into Lobero's Theatre. Construction took nearly three years and cost approximately $60,000. The official opening took place on February 22, 1873, with