Just when you thought festival season was over…This weekend we have a traditional harvest festival to welcome the fall, and while we’re at it, two new festivals hit the scene!
Check out the 2-day Capitola Beach Festival and the newest food fest in town, Boardwalk Bites & Brews.
There’s always something for everyone. See our picks for the top events each day this weekend:
This week’s roundup is sponsored by Arts Council Santa Cruz County & the Open Studios Art Tour. Open Studios takes place the first three weeks of October. Our pro tip: kick-start your tour with a visit to the Santa Cruz Art League where you will find work from every artist on this year’s tour. We love visiting this exhibition each year to help plan our tour stops. The public reception is this Sunday and the exhibit will run through Oct. 21st. 
Click here for more information about Open Studios.
Friday
Pivot Towards Your Purpose
When: 9/28 from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm
Where: Resource Center for Nonviolence: 612 Ocean St, Santa Cruz, CA 95060
Cost: Earliest Bird Price (ends August 15th): $99 / Early Bird Price (ends September 7): $119 / General Admission: $139
Be inspired, empowered, and equipped to take action at Pivot Towards Your Purpose, a women’s leadership conference for entrepreneurs, business owners, and future leaders. The day will be filled with motivational speakers, insightful workshops, and opportunities to set goals and connect with other passionate community members. Pivot proceeds will benefit the Coastal Watershed Council.
Sordid Lives by Del Shores
When: 9/21 – 10/14
Where: Mountain Community Theatre
Cost: $17 – $20
This comedy is based on the independent film that tells the story a small town family who deals with the fallout after the accidental death of a family member during a secret encounter with another married and much younger neighbor. Full of colorful characters and dark humor that will keep you laughing and entertained.
Also on Friday
MUSIC/DANCE
- Contra Dance @ Live Oak Grange
- Salsa Night @ Palomar Ballroom
- Trouble in the Wind @ Santa Cruz Mountain Brewery
- Live Music By Matias @ SANTA CRUZ MAH
- The Holdup @ The Catalyst
- Tsunami @ Crow’s Nest
- SOULWISE, For Peace Band, Rise Up, DJ Spleece @ Moe’s Alley
- The Ventures @ The Catalyst
- Fishhook ( Rock, Classic Rock) @ Severino’s
- Ten O’clock Lunch Trio @ Michaels on Main
- Alex Lucero & Live Again @ Michaels on Main
THEATER/ARTS
- Jake McCue: Read Between the Lines @ Felix Kulpa Gallery
- The Beauty Queen of Leenane @ Colligan Theater
MAKE/CRAFT
- MAKE & Explore @ Santa Cruz Children’s Museum of Discovery
- Make Night: Flower Crowns @ SANTA CRUZ MAH
OUTDOORS
MORE
- 2018 Farm to Table Wine Dinner Series @ Chaminade Resort & Spa
- Watsonville Farmers Market @ Downtown Watsonville Plaza
- Farm & Garden Market Cart @ Corner of Bay & High Street
- Sea Otter Awareness Week @ Seymour Marine Discovery Center
Want to see all the best events in Santa Cruz every weekend? Click here to get these Weekend Roundup posts delivered straight to your inbox.Saturday
Capitola Beach Festival
When: 9/29 – 9/30 from 8:00 am to 3:00 pm
Where: Capitola Village
Cost: Free
Don’t miss this new festival in town, or rather in the Village of Capitola. This two-day community event includes many of the beloved Begonia Festival activities, from the Sand Sculpture Contest to the Fishing Derby, while introducing some fun new festivities…the Little Wharf 3-Miler and a Lighted Nautical Parade!
Founders’ Day Special Event
When: 9/29 from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm
Where: Big Basin Redwoods State Park
Cost:
Founders’ Day is packed with activities celebrating the majestic old growth redwoods of California’s oldest state park and the visionaries who were inspired to save them. Follow a century of history along the 100-foot timeline tree, take a guided walk around the redwood loop, and watch a strolling play bring the past to life.
Boardwalk Bites & Brews
When: 9/29 from 10:30 am to 8:00 pm
Where: Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
Cost: $4 – $79
Boardwalk bites meet Bay Area brews at the newest food festival in Santa Cruz! Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing, Shanty Shack, Steel Bonnet, and Discretion are just a few of the local breweries facing the challenge to find the best pairing of beer/cider to favorite Boardwalk foods. If you’ve ever wanted to know what beers pair well with deep fried artichokes, corn dogs, garlic fries, and more, get your event passports and start tasting!
Santa Cruz Mountains Harvest Festival
When: 9/29 from 11:00 am to 6:30 pm
Where: Downtown Boulder Creek
Cost: Free admission, $10 all access pass for kids & $7 beer & wine tickets
Harvest season is here! Bring your family and friends to Downtown Boulder Creek for a day of music, great food, beer and wine, amazing artists, and sustainable living demonstrations. Kids will love the petting zoos, bounce house, face painting and hay rides.
Burrito Bash And Car Show
When: 9/29 from 11:00 am to 6:00 pm
Where: Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds: Main Lawn
Cost: $5 Admission, $5 parking
Join the Rotary Clubs of Freedom and Watsonville for a day of live music, a car show, food, activities, brews and burritos! This is a family-friendly fundraiser for all the good causes that Rotary supports. Of course, the highlight of the burrito bash will be local restaurants competing for the Best Burrito on the Central Coast…can’t wait to see who wins!
Sordid Lives by Del Shores
See Description Under Friday Section
Also on Saturday
MUSIC/DANCE
- Esoteric Collective Plays Approachable Jazz @ Davenport Roadhouse Restaurant & Inn
- Live Music By Coast Ridge Ramblers @ Abbott Square Market
- Christie McCarthy & Friends @ Kuumbwa Jazz Center
- UTURN @ Crow’s Nest
- Beggar Kings @ Flynn’s Cabaret
- The Human Experience, KR3TURE, driftr @ Moe’s Alley
- The Catalyst Presents: Half the Animal w/ The 131ers @ The Crepe Place
- Geographer @ The Catalyst
- Patio Acoustics with Bret Fowler @ Severino’s
- Groovity @ Severino’s
- China Cats @ Michaels on Main
THEATER/ARTS
- COSI FAN TUTTE Opera Wine and Appetizer Show @ Santa Cruz County Veterans Memorial Building
- The Beauty Queen of Leenane @ Colligan Theater
MAKE/CRAFT
- Santa.Cruz.Family.Room 9/29: Blue Moon Haunted House ~ Ages 7 to Adult ~ Non-alcohol event @ The Painted Cork Art Studio
- RSVP for Drawing for Absolute Beginners – FREE! @ Lenz Arts – Art Materials and Framing
OUTDOORS
- Coast Nature Walks @ Wilder Ranch State Park
- Ranch History Tours @ Wilder Ranch State Park
- Redwood Grove Loop Walk @ Big Basin Redwoods State Park
- Redwood Grove Loop Walk @ Big Basin Redwoods State Park
- Monterey Bay Birding Festival: Rancho Del Oso and The North Coast @ Rancho del Oso Unit
- Monterey Bay Birding Festival: Natural Bridges and West Cliff Drive @ Natural Bridges State Beach
- Coast Nature Walks @ Wilder Ranch State Park
- Redwood Grove Loop Walk @ Big Basin Redwoods State Park
- Redwood Grove Loop Walk @ Big Basin Redwoods State Park
- Castle Rock Falls and Goat Rock Overlook Hike @ Castle Rock State Park
- Living History Demonstrations and Ranch Tour @ Wilder Ranch State Park
- Old Tree Trail Hike @ Portola Redwoods State Park
- Family Lagoon Watch @ Live Oak Branch Library
MORE
- Aptos Farmers Market @ Cabrillo College
- Parent’s Nook At The MAH @ SANTA CRUZ MAH
- Tannery World Dance Family Festival Days @ Santa Cruz Downtown Public Library
- Walk for Life / 5K Run @ Shrine of St. Joseph’s
- Sea Otter Awareness Week @ Seymour Marine Discovery Center
Keep up with us all weekend long, and see which events we’re attending, by following Santa Cruz Life on Instagram.Sunday
Music At Skypark
When: 9/30 from 2:30 pm to 6:00 pm
Where: Skypark
Cost:
Head to Scotts Valley for the final summer concert at Skypark. Rock out to Extra Large and The Joint Chiefs and know that all that dancing, eating, and drinking is going to a good cause—proceeds from food & beverage sales benefit music programs in local public schools.
Fall Harvest Festival at the UCSC Farm
When: 9/30 from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm
Where: UCSC Farm
Cost: $5 general admission; free for UCSC students with current ID, kids 12 and under, and members of the Friends of the UCSC Farm & Garden
Don’t miss UCSC Farm’s biggest event of the year! At this family-friendly affair, staff and students of the farm pull out all the stops with tractor rides, fresh cider-making with an old-fashioned apple press, live music, food demonstrations, face painting, wall climbing, and hourly workshops on everything from baking with sourdough to canning tomatoes.
Open Studios Preview Reception
When: 9/30 from 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm
Where: Santa Cruz Art League
Come to the public reception kick-off party of the Open Studios Preview Exhibit. Held at the Santa Cruz Art League September 29 – October 21, the preview exhibit will be a feast for the eyes and a great way to chart your tour of artist studios you’d like to visit during the Open Studios Art Tour, taking place the first three weekends in October.
Capitola Beach Festival
See Description Under Saturday Section
Sordid Lives by Del Shores
See Description Under Friday Section
Also on Sunday
MUSIC/DANCE
- Youth Rock Concert @ Abbott Square Market
- Open Bluegrass Jam @ The Crepe Place
- MERGE RECORDS: The Essex Green w/ Trummors @ The Crepe Place
- Fayuca @ The Catalyst
- Patio Acoustics with Ted Welty @ Severino’s
- The Box @ The Blue Lagoon
- Grateful Sunday Concert Series @ Michaels on Main
THEATER/ARTS
- The Beauty Queen of Leenane @ Colligan Theater
- COSI FAN TUTTE Opera Wine and Appetizer Show @ Santa Cruz County Veterans Memorial Building
MAKE/CRAFT
OUTDOORS
- Coffee Talk and Crafts @ Big Basin Redwoods State Park
- Ranch History Tours @ Wilder Ranch State Park
- Redwood Grove Loop Walk @ Big Basin Redwoods State Park
- Redwood Grove Loop Walk @ Big Basin Redwoods State Park
- The Road Less Traveled—A Dog-Friendly Walk @ Big Basin Redwoods State Park
- Coffee Talk and Crafts @ Big Basin Redwoods State Park
- Monterey Bay Birding Festival: New Brighton Beach and Pine Forest @ New Brighton State Beach
- The Road Less Traveled – A Dog-Friendly Walk @ Big Basin Redwoods State Park
- Redwood Grove Loop Walk @ Big Basin Redwoods State Park
- Living History Demonstrations and Ranch Tour @ Wilder Ranch State Park
- Redwood Grove Loop Walk @ Big Basin Redwoods State Park
- Watsonville Nature Walks @ City of Watsonville – Nature Center
MORE
- In the Crosshairs: An Update on the Sea Otter Survival Story @ Seymour Marine Discovery Center
- Sea Otter Awareness Week @ Seymour Marine Discovery Center
- Xterra SuperKid Triathlon @ Simpkins Family Swim Center
- Yoga + Wine + Music At Stockwell Cellars @ Stockwell Cellars
- Corralitos Farm and Garden Market @ Corralitos Cultural Center
- Live Comedy @ Crow’s Nest
- Last Sunday Funnies @ Bruno’s Bar and Grill
- 10th Annual Santa Cruz Neighbors Block Parties
Upcoming Events You Don’t Want to Miss
Welcome Back Monarchs Day
What: Welcome Back Monarchs Day Festival
Where: Natural Bridges State Beach
When: Sunday, October 14
Celebrate the return of the monarch butterflies to their winter home at Natural Bridges! A warm welcome awaits at this family-friendly festival including arts and crafts, face painting, live music, a parade, free cake, outdoor kids games, and more. For a fun day on the westside, plan on Open Streets on West Cliff in the morning and partying with the monarchs in the afternoon!
Open Studios Santa Cruz County
What: Open Studios 2018
Where: Various locations
When: First three weekends in October
Open Studios is an invitation into the creative workspaces of local artists throughout the county. Plot your own self-guided tour or simply follow the green signs around town. The first weekend of October features South County artists, the second weekend showcases North county artists, and the third weekend is an optional encore weekend for artists throughout the county.
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