This theatre of 2000 seats is wonderdul outside and mostly inside. I was there for the Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF). The seat are comfortable and well done. There is a popcorn stand inside and an alcohol bar (wine, cocktail & beer).The wall are very well decorated and detailed, this is very beautiful theater.You can find a good view from the balcony.

Arlington Theater is majestic with good acoustics and interesting history. Ive enjoyed films, concerts and lectures here for past 40 years in a beautiful setting. Always a pleasure to experience the unique ambiance of Arlington Theater!

The Arlington Theater is beautiful in its nostalgia and the theme of a being under the stars in a small adobe style architecture buildings. Its lovely. However,it would be so much better if they remodeled the theater with modern/comfortable chairs that many more modern movie theaters offer.

Entry was pretty easy, many bar options, comfortable seats, interesting decor which was very Spanish village but theres a bit of a bottle neck of people trying to get either get to their seats / drinks / to the restroom

Its a classic, I was fortunate enough to grow up in Santa Barbara and every time we get a chance to go to the Arlington, its an event. You feel spoiled at the opportunity to go there. The name, the ambiance, the history... Its just all so euphoric. A must go for a show, movie or artistic venture. Admire the old fashion beauty that is Santa Barbara!

Beautiful theater & decently comfortable. Might be a bit cramped for long legs.

Come on Arlington. It’s almost 2020, get some damned AC!! this please needs a major face lift remodel! The seating is all level, so Its very hard to SEE the stage. Concert last night, unless you stood, it’s impossible to see the act on stage. It was at least 85 degrees inside, because as I was told..”it’s an old building, there’s NO A/C. Seriously? Invest in one...people were sweating and trying to fan themselves..then finally leaving to go onto patio for air.My opinion..WORST VENUE TO SEE A CONCERT. Avoid it.

I love this venue! Its intimate and mysterious at the same time. It has all the things you would imagine an old theater having. I saw the Lion King here when it first came out, years ago. Kevin Hart and the Decemberists (separate visits lol). The staff is friendly and the atmosphere is perfect. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Used to love this theatre... tonight they wouldn’t let me in to see a R rated movie with my dad. I couldn’t even get a refund. The Lantino man with bleached hair is to blame for the horrible experience and customer service.

One of the most wonderful theaters that Ive ever been inside absolutely beautiful!!

Nice venue. Fun to stay in SB and eat at Roost next door. Will be back for sure

Was their for my favorite weekend! Was a great place. The second night they gave us free popcorn

Great theater! Opinion is probably skewed because I saw Tenacious D there and they are the best band in the world, so that means they play at the best venues in the world.

I was here for the My Favorite Weekend podcast event. The staff were nice, the bathrooms were clean, and security was good. Good times all around.

The seats are uncomfortable but its a great place to watch a movie. The ambiance is second to none.

Its beautiful but kind of cold. Saw the nutcracker and it was spectacular

Beautiful, beautiful theater filled the sentiment of early cinema and SB history. Id say a must-see especially if you can watch a film inside, which is fashioned like the outdoors of an Italian (Spanish?) town. A real treat.

Amazing venue. Saw an acoustic concert there. Really cool vibe inside. Acoustics are great. Beware that the building has no AC though, so if you may get a bit warm. Completely worth going in though.

One of my favorite venues to visit. Love the Spanish styled architecture that is on the outside and inside. You can definitely feel the rich history this place has. Cant wait to go back again!

Great theater, sat up in the balcony and it was wonderful, gave a real old world feeling

Great classic theater. Popcorn seemed like it was pre-popped.

Dont get me wrong, it is a beautiful place. The theater looks like it was made for an grand opera or something. But I didnt come for an opera, I came for a movie, and in that regard, they are sorely lacking.I dont understand why we have to put our own butter on the popcorn, or why the dispenser is so far away. The theater never really got dark enough to get into the movie, and the seats are uncomfortable.Like I said, pretty motif, but I need more than that to enjoy a good movie.

The decor is beautiful with a starry sky ceiling and the imitation of a Spanish village, but the drawing is very uncomfortable, especially in the balcony. If you are yall it is closer to unbearable.

Youll feel like youre in the middle of a cozy town when you go to this cinema. Its a fairly spacious cinema and its well mentained. I most certainly recommend it.

The Arlington is a fascinating, historical relic of the golden age of movies, having opened all the way back in 1931. It is a single-screen behemoth with over 2000 seats, including a balcony, although the balcony is often closed to public access. It survives and still shows first-run movies on the largest indoor screen in town, because the owners have managed to make it a venue for various music concerts, symphony performances, ballets, and other live events. The uniqueness of the auditorium, however, lies in the interior decor. The walls all around the audience are festooned with both physical and painted representations of buildings in an old town in Spain, and the ceiling has actual lights that simulate stars, all of which is to make you feel as if you are in a large open plaza in the middle of a Spanish village. In addition, the projection and sound systems are up to date, the concessions are modern (you can even get alcohol), and the restrooms are the largest, nicest, and generally cleanest of any of the movie houses in Santa Barbara. Theres really no better place to watch a movie.

Ive seen many a film there in my years living in Goleta/Santa Barbara and they looked and sounded decent to good. Was always told the acoustics there were bad for live music. Well, I saw my first concert there tonight (ZZ Top) and ZZ Top took what the acoustics gave them and provided an awesome live show. Mileage will vary live show to live show but tonight at least it was great. Overall, a great place to see movie or live show mostly.

, what an incredible night!

This is a small theater, but the acoustics are great. The decor inside is great. It has a classic facade to look like you are outside.

Great old-time Theater. Very cold though, bring a jacket.

Great event place for summer and fall events. A little cold in the winter and early spring. Old western town back drop and cowboy flare .

Great venue!!!! Any seat inside will provide a killer view of the Artists!

Incredible venue and the SB Surf Film Festival is top notch!

A uniquely old-California theater with lots of charm. But its in need of some work. Still had a great time.

Beautiful old theater with incredible sound. Was worth the 2 hour drive to see the performance. Cant wait to go back

First of all, the theatre is beautiful! It has a Spanish charm that encouraged us to look around and take it all in. We saw A Night with Janis Joplin which was PHENOMENAL! We had goose bumps all night! There was not one negative the whole night.

The atmosphere inside the theatre is very nice. Love the starry ceiling and other historical elements in the theatre. The thing that would make it a 5-Star, is if they had more comfortable seating with cup holders of some kind.

I really enjoy this place, but the seats are uncomfortable. There is no parking at all for it. It just needs an update.But it is a cool old place.

A FANTASTIC EXPERIENCE.TO SEE ZZ TOP IN A 2OOO SEAT VENUE WAS AMAZING.SO MANY 50 AND 60 YEAR OLDS HAD A GOOD TIME.IT WAS ONLY VERY WARM BUT THE AMBIENTE IN THE ARLINGTON THEATRE WAS GREAT.WONDERFUL EVENING!STEFAN TREFF,SANTA MONICA,CA.

Projector was out of focus. It was blatant and ridiculous that it wasn’t fixed—even after I asked. Apparently, the manager needed “convincing” that it was out of focus. To assure you it’s not just me thinking this, a cashier told me several others have noticed the issue as well. Everything was simply blurred at the edges, just enough so that it isn’t noticeable from the back of the theater, but obvious from the front. I feel like I got gypped.

Im writing this review based purely on my experience going there to see a movie, so its tailored for the movie watching experience. The venue is of course very nice and historical, but with that being said because the venue is not built as a movie theater do not expect the latest and greatest projection or sound quality. Keeping that in mind, it still is a very enjoyable experience. The concessions prices are in line with other places and the movie tickets are not astronomically expensive either. Its just a really cool place to visit, for a movie or otherwise.

What a phenomenal piece of history. The venue is great for concerts. We saw Chicago (the band). Excellent seats for the price!

Cool theater. But the seats are small and the rows close together. For performances its great, but for movies i prefer a more traditional movie theater. Unless you sit up close the sound isnt great and i think it can get warm when its a packed house.

This historic theater has 2,000 seats - its perfect to take in a movie or show, and the price is reasonable. Renauds and Petros are across the street for good eats. You can shop Downtown Santa Barbara, too!

Great classic theater! Saw a movie here but they do all kinds of events. Would have given 5 stars but the seats are old, broken in, kind of uncomfortable. But its a beautiful space with nice sound!

Great intimate venue for a concert. Seemed like every seat was close to the stage! The mission-style architecture added to the cool experience. We thought the acoustics were great as well. Easy public parking garage 2 blocks away cost us a total of $6!

Great venue, was there for the Bill Maher show, in line at 7:40pm.Show was to start at 8pm but we did not get into theater until 8:35pm. Not cool to start the show while you have two lines waiting to get through security & into the theater.

Great venue. Old time seats screen and sounds. Beer and wine plus a happy hour. Historical. Street parking.

This is a beautiful place, albeit very dark inside. Bring a small flashlight to find your seat number, then bask in the hacienda ambiance of the inside of the theater.

A must experiment venue. Suggest they remove some rows to increase leg room.

Wow! We saw Gabriel Iglesias there. What a wonderful, classic venue with excellent sound and courteous staff.

Wonderful movies, concerts and other entertainment.

Better for comedy shows than as an actual movie theater. Neat architecture

Wow. This is such a beautiful indoor theater. Its interior is styled in a old Spanish Style Colonization Revival Architecture. Truly a stunning venue! I saw a Perfect Circle preform here!

Beautiful place, could use new seating or clean the existing seats they’re petty darn gross.

We attended Peppa pig show here and setup, sound, seating, ambience of auditorium is good. Located at heart of State Street

Hot as shot in there for a packed house - should have had the theatre chilled down hours before!

Saw dancing with the stars, a good show. Building was coated in old and new spider webs. Interior is in need of repairs. Womens restroom line snakes out the door into all of the lobby. Staff friendly

Beautiful Historical theatre with great seating and terrific acoustics. Came here to see A Perfect Circle and they rocked.

Amazing and historic theater. Beautiful architecture. Cant wait to return!

Absolutely gorgeous building and incredible theater space

Really nice place they just need more comfortable seats

I have been at the Arlington Theater before and had a great time. On 10/25 I surprised my husband with Joe Bonamassa tickets. The theater unfortunately had no air conditioning. The employees said that it broke sometime ago. It was 100 degrees in Santa Barbara that day. No air in the theater made it very hot. They also shut down the concession stand and bars early so you couldnt get bottles water. Very disappointing. I would call to see if they fixed the AC before buying any tickets in the future.

Best theatre in SB for a reason. Ive always loved how it makes you feel like your watching outside in a small town. The stars are a nice touch. The seats arent as fancy as youll find at other places, but thats part of the charm.

Cute old structure. Interesting design. Very very vintage. But thats also a plus... In a way.

Positives: nice atmosphere, smaller more intimate venue, lots of staff/ushers to answer questions. Sound is good in the hall. Seats are okay.Negatives: Some bars only serve beer, some serve liquor and beer. It is confusing and there is NO signage as to which is which. So it was frustrating waiting in line to find out it was the wrong bar. Bathrooms arent very clean.

A Santa Barbara classic, the Arlington has that extra something special. The interior is designed so that it seems you are sitting in the street of a Spanish pueblo, under a starlit sky. The atmosphere is always festive and lively. Theres a balcony as well. The only thing keeping me from giving it 5 stars is the seats. NOT comfortable!

Sound and picture are great, but it was extremely cold inside the theater. I couldnt take out my jacket during the movie. Seats are comfortable, and the place is clean when you arrive (no after people leaves, that shows how people care when they go out)

This is an awesome movie theater! Ive gotten into theaters at the recently at the urging of a friend, and they dont make places like this anymore. The large entry foyer with large lanterns is impressive enough. The old school lobby, which theyve done a great job restoring, is beautiful, as well as the bathrooms and foyer leading to them. The main attraction of course is the seating area. This massive room has a sizable balcony and a nice ceiling, but the main defining feature is the pueblo-like village that seems to surround you. It almost felt like I was watching a movie outdoors in Texas at nightime. Maybe that is a bit of a stretch, but it wasnt to me at the time. Regardless, given that it is centrally located and prices are reasonable this is pretty much a must-visit for at least a tourist like me. If youre in Santa Barbara, Id absolutely recommend seeing a movie here!

Love the Arlington. Such a nostalgic old theater. Not the best sound system but we saw Earth, Wind and fire and it was a fabulous show.

I love this theatre. Small and nicely decorated. Always a great time.

Remember going to the great movie theaters in the 50s? Well, the ornate designs of the early cinemas are still around and you can find many of them at the Arlington Theater in Santa Barbara on State Street. The trappings of Hollywoods Golden Age are all around you. Just visit the Arlington during the Santa Barbara International Film Festival to see the giant searchlights, the red carpet and the stars that drive up for premiers and awards from Los Angeles, and yes, from Montecito. Seeing a movie at the Arlington is a big deal. The experience is definitely worth it.

Saw the Culture Club and the theater is great venue with parking in lot 5 or 6 close by. Small for a concert with good sound, comfortable seats, and a relaxed atmosphere. Concession lines are short and the surrounding area is great for restaurants before a show. If I only lived closer!

Nice theater. Single screen, older seats but cool setting to watch a film. Theres a balcony and a few bars. Ive never been to a movie when the bars have been open though. I think there is also a spot for an after party. Lots of SBIFF events here.

Very nice concert venue. Needs some updating.

I saw Bob Weir here. It was an epic show. This venue has a great vibe.

Its a bit dated and pretty far up State Street so there is limited places to eat nearby save a few higher scale restaurants. Still its only a short 10 minute walk down state street to find other restaurants

Best place in town to see a movie. The inside is unlike any other theater Ive been to...in a good way

Great old venue. Well kept up. There isnt a bad seat assnywhere in the place. Perfect for intimate concerts or plays

A historic location and a really breathtaking large theater to see movies and live performances. The inside is modeled in true old Spanish Santa Barbara style. No longer has its own parking lot

Went for a comics show. Its a big theater, but not too big to not be able to see the stage clearly. The acoustics are great it is beautiful inside.

Host to The Annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival. Honoring those in the Art Of filmmaking, Education, and Screenings of international films.

Seats were kinda bad, tickets were overpriced, and the additional fees made me regret going. The lobby was a bit disorganized as well. The bars/concessions had lines blocking the entrance and stairways. Probably wont go back

Saw Buster Keatons The General with live organ accompaniment! Fantastic experience. Thank you Organ Society.

One of our iconic landmark locales. It is well kept up and refreshed often. It is greatly appreciated by many in this community

Arlington Theatre is a break from the normal chain theater. Antique furniture and vintage decor contribute to a unique atmosphere. The real fun though is in the auditorium. Aside from housing the actual events, its set in a faux adobe village. The seats are built into the street between two rows of adobe homes, and the illusion is completed with star lights in the ceiling. Its a fun idea that is executed well and exudes charisma.

Great theater, clear perfect acoustics.Air conditioning failed due to extremely hot weather.Otherwise five stars.

My gosh...who doesnt love the Arlington! Gorgeous historic theater with the biggest screen in Santa Barbara....or anywhere! Great for epics, festivals, 70mm, or just a lazy Sunday matinee solo mio.Always check out a flick here with joy. Just sitting in the theater and taking it all in is really cool!

I saw Bill Burr perform, he was amazing, but they could use a better sound system for performers. They just had a speaker system they set up in front. Sometimes it was a little hard to hear the performer clearly.

This is a fantastic venue to see a show. The sound was amazing, the crowd was lively and fun, and the staff was polite.

Great place been going since I was little. They serve food to!

Great old theater. Never full.

Great place for movies and sahweet intimate place to see concerts.

Been to countless shows here. Everything from E.T. when it first came out to The Price is Right live to comedian Bill Burr and countless others. Place is looking dated but thats also part of the charm. Wouldnt change a thing.

The Arlington Theater is a beautiful theater with good sound. And its right in the heart of Santa Barbara.

Its the place to go:) youll have stars overhead for every movie. Might even meet someone famous;)

This is the most beautiful theater in Santa Barbara. Designed as an inner court yard opening to the night sky. You have to see it. Large screen,like the old days.

Historic...has lots of character

Always a great place to see a movie, concert, lecture etc. Awesome Santa Barbara historic venue!

Beautiful old theater. If you sign up to help people to their seats before the show you can see the concerts for free. Just ask about being an usher.

The go-to theater for the annual Christmas Day family movie.