Arlington Theatre 🇺🇸

When you visit Santa Barbara, California, step into history at the Arlington Theatre located at 1317 State Street. As the city's largest movie theater and principal performing arts venue, this historic 2,010-seat landmark offers a rich blend of Mission Revival and Spanish Colonial Revival architecture. Originally built in 1930 on the site of the former Arlington Hotel, the theater was designed by local architects Edwards and Plunkett.

Today, you can attend regular movie screenings, live performances, or special events tied to the annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival. Outside, you will admire a striking Mission Revival steeple topped with an art deco finial, a traditional red tiled roof, and a covered courtyard featuring a fountain alongside a free-standing ticket booth. Inside, heavily beamed and painted lobby ceilings welcome you into an extraordinary auditorium.

Styled to feel like an outdoor plaza in a colonial Spanish town, the theater walls display built-out houses, staircases, and balconies beneath a ceiling that evokes a starry night sky. Be sure to look for the rare 27-rank "Wonder Morton" pipe organ—one of just five ever built—which rises up from beneath the orchestra floor on a special platform during musical performances.

What to see at Arlington Theatre

• Atmospheric auditorium designed like a colonial Spanish town outdoor plaza with built-out houses and balconies
• Mission Revival steeple with an art deco finial, red tiled roof, and a fountain courtyard
• Rare 27-rank "Wonder Morton" pipe organ that rises on a platform from below the orchestra floor
• Elaborately painted and heavily beamed ceilings in the lobby
• Host venue for regular screenings, live artists, and the annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival

Visiting tips

Try to catch a performance that features the rare 27-rank "Wonder Morton" pipe organ as it rises into view on a platform from beneath the orchestra floor.

How long: 1-2 hours · Best time: During evening shows

How to get there & what’s nearby

Arlington Theatre is easy to reach on Santa Barbara’s public transport. For where to stay, the weather and full itineraries, see our Santa Barbara travel guide.