Whether you take part in the classic Downtown Santa Cruz trick-or-treating or dance the night away at the Freaker’s Ball, Halloween weekend in Santa Cruz always offers plenty of fun options.
See our picks for the top events each day this weekend:
Friday
Family Art Workshop: Sugar Skulls
When: 10/30 from 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm
Where: Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History
Cost: $5 General, $3 MAH Members & Children
Halloween isn’t the only holiday happening this weekend. There’s also the traditional Mexican holiday Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead. Teach your kids about this fascinating holiday and honor lost love ones at the MAH’s family art workshop.
Marine Masquerade
When: 10/30 from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm
Where: Seymour Marine Discovery Center
Cost: Public: $8 adults, $6 kids, Members & Children 2 and under FREE
Things can get pretty creepy down at the bottom of the ocean, so it makes sense that the Seymour Center would throw one of the best family friendly Halloween events in town, featuring a costume contest, scavenger hunts, creature crafts, and a flashlight tour to the whale skeleton.
Spooky Brews – NuBo Halloween Party
When: 10/30 from 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm
Where: New Bohemia Brewing
Cost: FREE
When you’re a kid, Halloween is a simple transaction: wear a costume, receive free candy. Adults can take advantage of a similar opportunity at NuBo this Friday, when anyone wearing a costume will get happy hour beer prices all night long. There will also be food from pop-up Ty’s Eatery, live music from Olde Blue, and a beer-themed jack-o-lantern contest.
Additional Halloween Eve Events
- Midnight Movie at the Del Mar: Psycho @ Del Mar Theater
- Enchanted Mountain Witches Ball @ I.O.O.F. Hall
- Halloween Party with Antsy McClain and The Troubs, at the Kuumbwa @ Kuumbwa Jazz Center
- The Addams Family, presented by CYT at the Louden Nelson Community Theater @ Louden Nelson Center
- Frogman’s Haunted Carnival @ The Blue Lagoon
- Hall Pass Halloween Eve Party @ The Crow’s Nest
Also on Friday
- Pours & Tours @ Annieglass
- Farm to Table Wine Dinner – Featuring Alfaro Winery, Route 1 @ Chaminade Resort & Spa
- Pure Bathing Culture @ Don Quixote’s
- Melvin Seals & JGB @ Moes Alley
- Tours of the Monarch Butterfly Grove @ Natural Bridges State Beach
- Ceremony @ The Catalyst @ The Catalyst
- The Brothers Comatose @ The Catalyst
- JOLLY LLAMAS, KIZMET, SALOON DOGS @ The Crepe Place
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Boulder Creek Trick or Treat Halloween Party and Haunted House
When: 10/31 from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm
Where: Downtown Boulder Creek
Cost: Free
Boulder Creek area locals dreading the trek to Santa Cruz for Halloween festivities are in luck, as this year you will have a full on spooky celebration right in your own backyard. The event will include trick-or-treating, a haunted house, and a “Thriller” themed dance.
Downtown Trick-or-Treat
When: 10/31 from 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm
Where: Downtown
Cost: Free
People watching and fun shopping is possible every day of the year in Downtown Santa Cruz, but these activities always get kicked up a few notches on Halloween, when local businesses encourage costumes and give out free candy.
Freaker’s Ball
When: 10/31 at 7:00 pm
Where: The Catalyst Club
Cost: $20 – $50
Let your inner freak out at the Catalyst, where popular electronic musicians such as Diamond Saints, Bleep Bloop and Little John will come together to create one unforgettable Halloween night.
Gault Annual Halloween Parade and Carnival
When: 10/31 from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm
Where: Gault Elementary School
Cost: FREE
Did you know that this family friendly event has been happening every year since 1948? Come see this Santa Cruz institution for yourself, and take part in costume parade, carnival games, and more.
Halloween on the Santa Cruz Wharf
When: 10/31 from 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Where: Santa Cruz Wharf
Cost: Free
If Downtown Santa Cruz isn’t your style, you might want to check out the Santa Cruz Wharf, where safe and relaxed trick-or-treating will be fun for the whole family.
SAMBADA
When: 10/31. Doors at 8:00 pm, show at 9:00 pm
Where: Moe’s Alley
Cost: $20
Sambada’s dance music influences range from Samba to funk, but the group’s upbeat energy and cool grooves create an experience unique unto itself. Bring your dancing shoes and get ready to jam the night away.
THE INCITERS HALLOWEEN EXTRAVAGANZA!
When: 10/31 at 9:00 pm
Where: The Crepe Place
Cost: $10
The inciters have had a strong following in Europe for twenty years now, and when you attend this Halloween extravaganza, it will be easy to see why: heavy beats, dreamy female vocals, and an extreme danceability color all of their songs.
Thomas and Percy’s Halloween Party!
When: 10/31 & 11/1
Where: Roaring Camp Railroads
Cost: $24
If you want to give your kids a fun Halloween experience they will never forget, bring them by Roaring Camp Railroads this weekend. For the first time ever, the trusty Thomas and Percy trains will be able to talk, adding a new layer of fun for the whole family.
Additional Halloween Events
- Bocci’s Hallowed Ball ’15 @ Bocci’s Cellar
- Midnight Movie at the Del Mar: the Shining @ Del Mar Theater
- HALLOWEEN EXTRAVAGANZA: China Cats Grateful Dead Tribute, Old & In the Way Tribute @ Don Quixote’s
- Spooky Spokesman Halloween Day Bike Ride @ Spokesman Bicycles
- 34th Annual Halloween Party @ The Blue Lagoon
- Room 9: Halloween Costume Party @ The Crow’s Nest
- 3rd Satellite Haunted House @ The Satellite
- The Addams Family, presented by CYT at the Louden Nelson Community Theater @ Louden Nelson Center
Outdoor Activities
- Redwood Grove Loop Walk @ Big Basin
- Snakes Alive! @ Big Basin @ Big Basin
- The Road Less Traveled—A Dog-Friendly Walk @ Big Basin
- Drop-in Family Crafts: Papel Picado @ Santa Cruz Mission
- History, Nature, and Scenic Views: A Tour of the Grey Whale Ranch Area @ Wilder Ranch
- Wilder Ranch Living History Demonstrations and Ranch Tours @ Wilder Ranch
- Pours & Tours @ Annieglass @ Annieglass
- Tours of the Monarch Butterfly Grove @ Natural Bridges State Beach
Also on Saturday
Keep up with us all weekend long, and see which events we’re attending, by following Santa Cruz Life on Instagram.Sunday
Thomas and Percy’s Halloween Party!
See Saturday description
Día de los Muertos Community Festival
When: 11/1 from 2:00 pm to 6:00 pm
Where: Abbott Square to Evergreen Cemetery
Cost: Free
This Day of the Dead festival features traditional Mexican craft-making, facepainting, and dance performances at the MAH. The festivities then continue at Evergreen Cemetery.
Las Cafeteras
When: 11/1 at 7:30 pm
Where: Rio Theatre
Cost: $21
The members of las Cafeteras combine their strong immigrant heritage with their experience growing up in Los Angeles to create a sound that is all their own. If you love hip hop, cumbia, or rock, you won’t want to miss this show.
Outdoor Activities
- Outlook from Mt. McAbee @ Big Basin
- Wildflower Walk @ Butano State Park
- Monthly XStream Beach Cleanup @ Davenport Main beach
- Beginning Birding @ Quail Hollow Ranch
- Tours of the Monarch Butterfly Grove @ Natural Bridges State Beach
- Redwood Grove Loop Walk @ Big Basin
- Wilder Ranch Living History Demonstrations and Ranch Tours @ Wilder Ranch
Also on Sunday
- STRIKE OUT HUNGER AND BOWL FOR FREE! @ Boardwalk Bowl
- Historic Davenport Jail open today from 11am to 4pm @ Davenport Jailhouse
- Heather Maloney 7pm @ Don Quixote’s
- Mi Casa Es Tu Casa 2015 De Dónde Venimos Hacia Dónde Vamos – Where We Have Come From To Where We Are Headed @ Pajaro Valley Arts Council Gallery
- “Beasts on Broadway” A National Exhibit @ Santa Cruz Art League
- Sunday Seaside Crafts @ Seymour Marine Discovery Center
- Open Mic Night, upstairs at the Catalyst @ The Catalyst
- Live Comedy at the Crow’s Nest @ The Crow’s Nest
- Pours & Tours @ Annieglass @ Annieglass
- The Addams Family, presented by CYT at the Louden Nelson Community Theater @ Louden Nelson Center
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