Santa Cruz Events

Santa Cruz County has great events all year long, and we'll keep you up to date on the best events, right here.

Santa Cruz knows how to celebrate holidays, as is evidenced by the massive influx of visitors with each major holiday. HIghlights include 4th of July in Santa Cruz, Halloween, and the Christmas holidays.

Santa Cruz is home to some great recurring events. The First Friday of each month is an art lover's dream, while bargain hunters love the Santa Cruz Antique Faire, held the first Sunday of each month.

During the summer months you can enjoy weekly outdoor events like the Wednesday night Movies on the Beach, Thursday night Beach Parties at the Crow's Nest, Friday Night Bands on the Beach, Sunday Art & Music in Capitola, and many more.

Over the years Santa Cruz, Capitola, and the surrounding communities have developed some amazing annual events. Summer is the unofficial event season, but you can find great events year round.

Favorites include Woodies on the Wharf, the Capitola Rod & Custom Classic Car Show, the Wharf to Wharf Race, the newly added Pleasure Point Street Fair, Begonia Festival, Capitola Art & Wine Festival, Restaurant Week, the Santa Cruz County Fair, the Santa Cruz Open Studios Art Tour, Santa Cruz Film Festival, the Santa Cruz Greek Festival, and Santa Cruz TEDx. And that's just the tip of the iceberg.

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This Weekend in Santa Cruz: August 3rd – 5th, 2018

Summer ain’t over yet, which means there are still bands on the beach to kick off the weekend and festival season is in full swing. This …

This weekend starts off with Bands on the Beach, a highly anticipated summer block party, and a summer camp themed event you won't want to …

Will it be Food Truck Friday or Friday Night Bands on the Beach? Wine tasting in the Santa Cruz Mountains or Bargetto’s Art & Wine …

We’re kicking off the weekend early with a couple of Thursday events we think you’ll love — a popup picnic in the park and a Frida Kahlo …

School’s out for summer, but Friday Night Recess is on! Saturday celebrates the simple things in life: summer reads, a night hike, good …

Gotta love a weekend that starts off with a full moon forest adventure and ends with art and music at the beach. Saturday features a …

Cruz into the weekend with Friday Night Bands on the Beach…we’ll see you on the sand! Saturday’s family-friendly lineup features a street …

This weekend we celebrate dads, grads and the beginning of summer vacation. Friday night brings the first Free Friday Night Bands on the …

This weekend brings some favorite annual events such as the Japanese Cultural Festival, back for its 32nd year. One of California’s most …