This Thanksgiving edition of the Weekend Roundup is filled with family-friendly ideas for entertaining your out-of-town guests.
Enjoy local holiday traditions, gift shopping in the mountains, and a zany holiday circus. Have a wonderful holiday!
See our picks for the top events each day this weekend:
2018 Holiday Guides
Your guide to celebrating the holidays in Santa Cruz is here. You’ll find holiday events, shopping guides, local Christmas tree farms & New Year’s Eve events (coming soon). Be sure to check back weekly as we’ll be adding new events to these guides as they pop up. Happy holidays!
Friday
Tandy Beal & Company Presents “JOY! A Holiday Show with Circus, Dance, and Live Music”
When: 11/23 – 11/25 & 11/30 – 12/2
Where: UCSC Theater Arts Center Mainstage Theater, Santa Cruz
Cost: $19.50-$55.25
Wow the kids with a holiday circus! Tandy Beal & Company returns this holiday season with the zany holiday spectacular “JOY! A Holiday Show with Circus, Dance, and Live Music,” featuring world-class acrobats, dancers, and musicians. Runs November 23 through December 2.
Downtown Santa Cruz Outdoor Movies: Ratatouille
When: 11/23 from 5:30 pm to 8:00 pm
Where: Library Parking Lot
Cost: Free
Now playing in a library parking lot near you…free, family-friendly outdoor movies every Friday from November 23 through December 21. Bring your low-back chairs and a picnic dinner (but save room for snack bar popcorn and hot chocolate). Up first: Ratatouille!
Santa Cruz Holiday Lights Train
When: November 23 – 24, December 1 – 2, 8 – 9 & 15 – 23
Where: Train Departs from the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
Cost: Adult $33, Child $28
The Santa Cruz Holiday Lights Train is your chance to enjoy some old fashioned holiday cheer aboard vintage train cars. Sip hot spiced cider as you listen to holiday music, partake in carols, and visit with Santa Claus. Arrive back at the Boardwalk in style and enjoy arcade games, rides, and even ice skating!
Roaring Camp: Holiday Tree Walk
When: 11/23 – 11/25 at 11:00 am
Where: Roaring Camp Railroads
Cost: $23 – $29
Start your adventure at Roaring Camp, where you’ll board the daytime steam train to Bear Mountain. Once you make it to the summit, you’ll be treated to hot cider as you walk through the beautifully decorated trees. Guests are encouraged to bring new toys to benefit Santa Cruz County’s Toys for Tots program. For each toy donated, guests will receive $2.00 off the price of their train ticket.
Also on Friday
MUSIC/DANCE
- Live Music by Papiba & Friends @ Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History
- Stellar Corpses, Fulminante, Ghost Town Hangmen, Hour 13. @ The Catalyst
- Deorro @ The Catalyst
- Extra Large @ Crow’s Nest
- Edge Of The West w/ Achille’s Wheel @ Flynn’s Cabaret
- JESSE DANIEL + Rob Leines @ Moe’s Alley
- Fire Nuns w/ Fantastic Plastic and Human Furniture Company @ The Crepe place
- Eric Morrison & The Mysteries @ Severino’s
- Blue – Happy Hour @ Michael’s On Main
- The Puffball Collective plus Dead Slug Society @ Michael’s On Main
- Santa Cruz contra dance @ Live Oak Grange, 1900 17th Ave., Santa Cruz
THEATER/ARTS
- Miracle on 34th Street, the Play @ Mountain Community Theater
- Suds: The Rocking 60’s Musical Soap Opera @ The Colligan Theater
MAKE/CRAFT
MORE
- Watsonville Farmers Market @ Downtown Watsonville Plaza
- Visit the Friends Bookstore! @ Santa Cruz Public Library
- Record Store Day Black Friday! @ Streetlight Records-Santa Cruz
Saturday
A Gala Gourd Music Celebration
When: 11/24 at 7:30 pm
Where: Resource Center For Nonviolence
Cost: $20
Gourd Music, the Santa Cruz independent record label specializing in acoustic music, presents their 30th Anniversary Show featuring William Coulter (guitar), Shelley Phillips (harp, winds), Barry Phillips (cello, tabla), Neal Hellman (dulcimer), Deby Benton Grosjean (fiddle), and Steve Coulter (harp).
Capitola Village Surfin’ Santa and Tree Lighting Ceremony
When: 11/24 from 12:00 pm to 5:30 pm
Where: Capitola Village
Cost: Free
Watch Santa and his reindeer arrive on Capitola Beach via outrigger canoe and surfboard. Once settled in his beach chair, Santa will visit with all the children and listen to their holiday wishes. Be sure to bring your camera to capture the memories! Stick around all afternoon for refreshments, face painting, live music, and the community tree lighting ceremony at 5pm.
Santa Cruz Mountains Holiday Makers Market
When: 11/24 from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm
Where: Felton Community Hall
Shop the art, music, and tastes of the Santa Cruz mountains community. This free public event is held indoors and features live local music while you discover treasures and gifts from over 40 local artists and crafters. Best of all, your shopping dollars help benefit a local non-profit, Mountain Community Resources.
Sip & Shop at Humble Sea
When: 11/24 from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm
Where: Humble Sea Brewing Co.
Drink beer. Get your holiday shopping done. Be happy. It’s that simple! So grab a humbly delicious brew and check out the variety of high quality wares from local makers, including Santa Cruz Engraving (those awesome wooden maps), Upcycled Skate Art (functional art made from broken skateboards), and Mountainside Handmade Jewelry.
Tandy Beal & Company Presents “JOY! A Holiday Show with Circus, Dance, and Live Music”
See Description Under Friday Section
Santa Cruz Holiday Lights Train
See Description Under Friday Section
Roaring Camp: Holiday Tree Walk
See Description Under Friday Section
Also on Saturday
MUSIC/DANCE
- Angerhead @ The Catalyst
- An Evening With Machinehead @ The Catalyst
- Blasphemous Creation (CD Release) / Blood Omen / Slege @ The Blue Lagoon
- Tsunami @ Crow’s Nest
- When Doves Cry – The Prince Tribute Show @ Flynn’s Cabaret
- Birds Of Chicago @ Moe’s Alley
- SmokeShow w/ Dan Too @ The Crepe place
- Joint Chiefs (funk, acid jazz and classic R&B) @ Severino’s
- WeGotchu @ Michael’s On Main
- Capitola Village Holiday Music Series @ Capitola Mercantile Courtyard and Capitola Monterey Plaza
THEATER/ARTS
OUTDOORS
- Castle Rock Falls and Goat Rock Overlook Hike @ Castle Rock State Park
- Old Tree Trail Hike @ Portola Redwoods State Park
- Monarch Butterfly Tours @ Natural Bridges State Beach
- Old-Growth Redwood Tours @ Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park
- Birding for Beginners @ Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park
- Ranch Tours @ Wilder Ranch State Park
- Old Cove Landing Trail Walk @ Wilder Ranch State Park
- Redwood Grove Loop Walk @ Big Basin Redwoods State Park
- Coffee Talk and Crafts @ Big Basin Redwoods State Park
- Hike to Ocean View Summit @ Big Basin Redwoods State Park
- Nature’s Reading Room @ Big Basin Redwoods State Park
MORE
Sunday
Tandy Beal & Company Presents “JOY! A Holiday Show with Circus, Dance, and Live Music”
See Description Under Friday Section
Roaring Camp: Holiday Tree Walk
See Description Under Friday Section
Also on Sunday
MUSIC/DANCE
- Moonalice @ Moe’s Alley
- Grateful Sunday Concert Series @ Michael’s On Main
- Live Music by Gina Rene // Travis Cruse @ Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History
THEATER/ARTS
OUTDOORS
- Monarch Butterfly Tours @ Natural Bridges State Beach
- Ranch Tours @ Wilder Ranch State Park
- Redwood Grove Loop Walk @ Big Basin Redwoods State Park
- The Road Less Traveled—A Dog-Friendly Walk @ Big Basin Redwoods State Park
- Watsonville Nature Walks @ City of Watsonville – Nature Center
MORE
Upcoming Events You Don’t Want to Miss
Winter Performance: December in Mexico
What: Winter Performance: December in Mexico
Where: Harbor High Theater
When: November 30 & December 1, 2018 at 7:00 pm
Take in dinner and a show at Harbor High. Senderos presents its winter dance performance, Colores de mi Tierra, featuring Centeotl Danza y Baile dance troupe and Ensamble Musical youth band. Arrive early to enjoy delicious Mexican food. This fundraiser helps support Senderos, an all-volunteer nonprofit that provides free after school dance and music classes, tutoring, and scholarships for Latino youth.
2018 Santa Cruz Stache Dash
What: 2018 Santa Cruz Stache Dash
Where: Swift Street Courtyard
When: December 1
No mustache is too big or too small to join the Stache Dash—even fake ones are allowed! The whole point is to raise awareness and funds for prostate cancer research, and the whole family can get in on the fun. Sign the kids up for the 1k, register yourself for the 5k/10k walk/run, and meet up at the finish line (Santa Cruz Mountain Brewery) for beer and live music by Moshe V Music.
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