Fields of Funk Returns to Santa Barbara’s Elings Park

Funk is coming to Santa Barbara this October. No, I’m not talking about the Funk Zone. It’s more like a zone of funk, and it’s in Elings Park. Fields of Funk, to be precise.

The age-21-and-up music festival is returning for its third year on October 28, with two stages, food trucks, a retail market hosted by Baad Sunday, a full bar sponsored by Red Bull and Black Market Spirits, and a silent disco. 

It’s an entire day filled with art and “electronic disco funky stuff,” as organizer Logan Goldberg put it. 

They look for musicians right on the brink of making it big. “We like to think of Fields of Funk as a place where we can curate those artists to make a mark on Santa Barbara,” Goldberg said. 

Artists include Boombox, a rock and electronic duo who recently opened for Phil Lesh at Ventura-based festival Skull & Roses, as well as Strfkr, an Oregon-born indie rock group that’s been around since 2007. Also on the bill is Fleetmac Wood, which revamps classic Fleetwood Mac songs in an up-tempo, funky kind of way, accompanied by an LED-powered visual experience of archived video footage of the classic rock band’s live performances. 

Central Coast bands and deejays are now competing to be a part of the festival, and the winners will get to open up their respective stages. The second stage will be dedicated to deejays this year, with electronic duo Walker & Royce headlining.  

Goldberg is trying to incorporate as many regional food and retail vendors as possible, and is working with the Arts Fund to raise money for Santa Barbara arts programs. “We really wanted to start this festival to highlight Santa Barbara,” said Goldberg, who encouraged attendees to bring lawn chairs and blankets and dress up in costumes to celebrate the Halloween weekend. —Callie Fausey

Fields of Funk is Saturday, October 28, noon-10 p.m. Tickets and details at fieldsoffunk.ticketsauce.com.