Photo by Jessyka Soto. Follow Jessyka @jessyka_soto
Summer in Santa Cruz has so much to offer with lots of free community events. The dining is fine whether it’s food truck fare or four-course farm-to-table.
Take in a play, dance performance or concert.
And on Sunday, honor the Dad in your life. Let him choose from an art class, an outdoor play, brew train, or one of many other options!
See our picks for the top events each day this weekend:
Friday
Food Truck Friday w/The Derby Girls
When: 6/14 from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm
Where: Skypark, Scotts Valley
Cost: Free
Meet your local Derby Girls as you savor the delectables from six local food trucks. The beer garden will feature Scotts Valley’s Steel Bonnet Brewing Company to help raise funds for the Scotts Valley Educational Foundation. Bring your picnic blanket and some friends and let the good times roll!
The English Beat
When: 6/14 at 6:30 pm & 8:30 pm
Where: Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
Cost: Free
The Boardwalk’s Friday Night Bands at the Beach concert series is required free summer fun. This weekend stars the English Beat, one of the great 90’s English bands with their message of love and unity, which we all need to dance to right about now.
Get more info here.
Mermaid Madonna: Tales of a Crisis
When: 6/14 – 6/16 at 8:00 pm & 2:00 pm
Where: Center Stage Theater
Cost: $20 – $35
A poetic performance, this play features music, movement, characters and storytelling to portray the effects on a small fishing village in Greece of the arrival of half a million desperate migrants from war-torn Syria.
Get more info here.
Cinderella the Ballet
When: 6/14 – 6/16 at 7:00 pm & 1:00 pm
Where: Aptos High School Performing Arts Center
Cost: $14.00 – $25.00
Set to the music of Prokofiev, the classic tale is told through the graceful art of ballet. Starring talented local dancers from Agape Dance Company.
Get more info here.
FULL MOON MADNESS
When: 6/14 from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm
Where: Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park
Cost: Free, $10 for parking
The only thing more beautiful than a hike in the Henry Cowell redwoods is a hike in Henry Cowell’s under a full moon! With live music, kids’ crafts and lots of telescopes provided by the Santa Cruz Astronomy club, you will get to see and learn about your favorite park at night!
Get more info here.
Live Music by The Grateful Dads
When: 6/14 from 6:30 pm to 9:00 pm
Where: Abbott Square
Cost: Free
What better way to kick off Father’s Day Weekend than with a performance by the Grateful Dads of Santa Cruz! Live at Abbott Square, the Grateful Dads will be jamming as you chill. The Abbott Square Market has tons of tasty options for a drink, snack or dinner.
Get more info here.
Also on Friday
MUSIC/DANCE
- Sona Jobarteh @ Kuumbwa Jazz Center
- Blue Ocean Rockers @ Crow’s Nest
- Dub Congress @ Moe’s Alley
- Numbskull Presents: Get Married w/ Fulminate and TBD @ The Crepe Place
- Inner Wave @ The Catalyst
- VJB Band @ Severino’s
- Blue Happy Hour @ Michael’s on Main
- Possessed by Paul James, Tom Vandenavond, Ona Stewart @ Michael’s on Main
- Hawaiian Music @ Pono Hawaiian Grill
- Fanna-Fi-Allah Sufi Qawwali Ensemble @ Pacific Cultural Center / Ashtanga Yoga Institute
- Salsa Night @ Palomar Ballroom
THEATER/ARTS
MAKE/CRAFT
OUTDOORS
MORE
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
Summer Reading Kickoff Event: Coventry & Kaluza!
When: 6/15 from 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm
Where: Anna Jean Cummings County Park
Cost: FREE
If “summer” means “books” to you, then come down to Blue Ball Park to enjoy our libraries’ Summer Reading Program kickoff party. Complete with an acrobatic, comedic circus performance from award-winning artists Coventry and Kaluza, everyone can sign up to start earning rewards for every five books read over summer.
Sustain Supper Benefitting the Homeless Garden Project – SOLD OUT
When: 6/15 from 4:00 pm to 7:30 pm
Where: Homeless Garden Project Farm
Cost: $150 – SOLD OUT
Support and celebrate organic agriculture and meaningful work for our community’s homeless population at this farm-to-table benefit. This event takes place on the farm and showcases some of the most talented chefs of the region with special wine pairings, farm tours and engaging speakers including hosts Nell Newman and Kat Taylor.
Santa Cruz Juneteenth 2019
When: 6/15 from 12:00 pm to 5:00 pm
Where: Louden Nelson Community Center
Cost: Free
Freedom and equality for all people are the causes for celebration at Santa Cruz Juneteenth. This year marks the 400th anniversary of slavery in America, and the 153rd anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation. Enjoy music, dance, poetry, soul food, a basketball skills contest and sack race!
Get more info here.
Also on Saturday
MUSIC/DANCE
- THE COFFIS BROTHERS + King Dream @ Moe’s Alley
- Sweet Plot w/ Zelma Stone @ The Crepe Place
- (((folkYEAH!))) Presents JOHN PAUL WHITE & His Band @ Rio Theatre
- Haunt @ The Catalyst
- Emo Night Brooklyn FT. Mason Musso Of Metro Station @ The Catalyst
- Patio Acoustics with Shawn Yanez @ Severino’s
- Tsunami @ Severino’s
- China Cats @ Michael’s on Main
- Blazeen and Tribe @ Crow’s Nest
- San Lorenzo Valley Community Band Concert @ Boulder Creek Branch Library
THEATER/ARTS
MAKE/CRAFT
OUTDOORS
- Castle Rock Loop Hike @ Castle Rock State Park
- Old-Growth Redwood Tours @ Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park
- Old Cove Landing Trail @ Wilder Ranch State Park
- Building Methods at the Mission @ Santa Cruz Mission
- Tidepool Tours @ Natural Bridges
- Ohlone Plant Use @ Big Basin Redwoods State Park
- Here Comes the Sun: Look through a Solar Telescope! @ Big Basin Redwoods State Park
- Ranch Tours @ Wilder Ranch State Park
MORE
Keep up with us all weekend long, and see which events we’re attending, by following Santa Cruz Life on Instagram.Sunday
Summer Reading Kickoff Event: Percussion with James Henry!
When: 6/16 from 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm
Where: Highlands County Park, 8500 CA-9, Ben Lomond, CA
Cost: Free
Another fun-filled chance to sign up for our libraries’ Summer Reading Program, this time with the percussive beats of many cultures brought to you by the inimitable James Henry. Be prepared to dance, sing, learn and be involved as you get set to read all summer long.
The Men of Big Basin
When: 6/16 at 1:00 pm
Where: Big Basin Redwoods State Park
Cost: Free, parking $10
This Father’s Day, come learn about some of the important men who helped father our treasured state park. Stroll through the magnificent redwoods for a half-mile, 1 ½ hour walking play about some of the outstanding men of Big Basin’s past.
Get more info here.
Family Room Art Class: Father’s Day Special: Sunset Fishing
When: 6/16 from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm
Where: The Painted Cork Art Studio
Cost: $30
Make fun family memories while you create a masterpiece of your very own in this expertly-guided family art class.
Get more info here.
ROARING CAMP: Hats Off to Dad Steam Train & Beach Brew Train
When: 6/16 from 6:00 pm to 10:00 pm
Where: Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
Cost: $23 – $34, Infants under 2 are welcome to ride for free!
Roaring Camp knows what Dad wants for Father’s Day: great BBQ, the best local craft brews and maybe even a beautiful train ride through the Santa Cruz Mountains to (or from) the Boardwalk! Also enjoy the live music and try a little gold panning as you feast.
Get more info here.
Father’s Day Wagon Rides
When: 6/16 from 12:00 pm to 3:00 pm
Where: Wilder Ranch State Park
Yeehaw! Head to Wilder for a wagon ride with dad and meet the new team of Belgians, Margaret and Millie.
For more info, call (831) 713-1882.
Mermaid Madonna: Tales of a Crisis
See Description Under Friday Section
Cinderella the Ballet
See Description Under Friday Section
Also on Sunday
MUSIC/DANCE
- T-Bone Mojo Mission BBQ @ Mission Street Barbecue
- Roy Rogers & The Delta Rhythm Kings @ Moe’s Alley
- Pierre Onassis (Singer From Olodum), SambaDá & Roots From Brazil Samba School @ Moe’s Alley
- Open Bluegrass Jam @ The Crepe Place
- Through The Roots @ The Catalyst
- Patio Acoustics with Vinny Johnson @ Severino’s
- Grateful Sunday Concert Series @ Michael’s on Main
THEATER/ARTS
OUTDOORS
- When Species Collide @ Rancho del Oso
- Redwoods and Climate Change @ Henry Cowell Redwoods
- Coffee Talk and Crafts @ Big Basin Redwoods State Park
- The Road Less Traveled: A Dog-Friendly Walk @ Big Basin Redwoods State Park
- Hike to Ocean View Summit @ Big Basin Redwoods State Park
- Little Rangers @ Portola Redwoods State Park
- Redwood Grove Loop Walk @ Big Basin Redwoods State Park
- Variety Pack Guided Hike @ Portola Redwoods State Park
- Discover Big Basin Redwoods @ Big Basin Redwoods State Park
- Ranch Tours @ Wilder Ranch State Park
- Junior Rangers @ Portola Redwoods State Park
- Redwood Grove Loop Walk @ Big Basin Redwoods State Park
- Twilight Adaptation Adventure @ Big Basin Redwoods State Park
MORE
- Live Comedy @ Crow’s Nest
- Science Sunday—Cephalopods Are the New Dinosaurs @ Seymour Marine Discovery Center
Upcoming Events You Don’t Want to Miss
Pleasure Point Street Fair
What: Pleasure Point Street Fair 2019
Where: Portola Drive between 41st and 38th Aves.
When: Saturday, June 22 from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm
Cost: Free
No cars allowed at this community street party! Slow down and enjoy a stroll through Pleasure Point, shop the vendor booths and get some yummy food truck fare as eight different local bands play. There will be kids arts and crafts, a skateboard contest, and a beer garden offering mimosas and spirits.
Friday Night Recess
What: Friday Night Recess
Where: Cooper Street
When: Friday, July 5 from 5:00 to 9:00 pm
Cost: Free
Cooper Street becomes a pop-up playground complete with tether ball, cornhole, hopscotch and huge building blocks. A live DJ will be spinning the tunes and the MAH will be open for art activities and exploring.
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