Whether your tastebuds prefer wine or chocolate, your musical tastes skew classical or gospel, or your interests rest in local history or interactive art, this weekend in Santa Cruz has something for you to enjoy.
See our picks for the top events each day this weekend:
Friday
3rd Friday: Power Hour
When: 1/15 from 6:00 pm to 8:30 pm
Where: Museum of Art & History
Cost: $3 – $5
When was the last time you allowed yourself to yell continuously for an entire minute? You can accomplish that and 59 other minute-long exercises this Friday by taking part in Power Hour, a participatory art experience that is meant to bring people together.
Curious what Power Hour looks like? Watch this video:
Also on Friday
- Aloha Friday: Danny Carvalho and Nani Edgar @ Pono Hawaiian Grill
- Dead Prez @ The Catalyst
- Stick Figure @ The Catalyst
- 8 Tens @ Eight Play Festival, at Center Stage Theater @ Center Stage Theatre
- Local Essence Members´ Exhibit – Part I (A-K) @ Santa Cruz Art League
- Locomotive Breath @ Don Quixote’s
- The D’oh Bros @ The Crow’s Nest
- Harrison Stafford (of Groundation) & The Professor Crew @ Moe’s Alley
- Misner and Smith, Young and Lowe, Dear Rabbit @ The Crepe Place
- Devotchka @ Rio Theatre
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
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Weekend
When: 1/16 – 1/17
Where: Resource Center For Nonviolence
Cost: See event details
Martin Luther King, Jr.’s message of equality, perseverance and pacifism is one everyone can appreciate and benefit from. This two-day celebration of Dr. King will honor the civil right leader through a Youth Day, Gospel Night, and a reading of King’s letters from the Birmingham jail.
Passport Days
When: 1/16 from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm
Where: Various Wineries
Cost: $55
Once a month, local oenophiles get the opportunity to sample the best that our vintners have to offer with Passport Days.
One flat fee gets you tastings at dozens of different area wineries, including ones that are generally not open to the public.
Basket Making Workshop
When: 1/16 from 10:00 am to 12:00 nn
Where: Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park
Cost: Free
Want to engage your children in nature and teach them how rewarding working with their hands can be? If so, bring them along to this family-friendly workshop, where Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park Docent Cheryle VanDeVeer will be teaching folks to craft baskets out of local pine needles.
Legends of Granada: Musical Confections from the Heart of Andalusia
When: 1/16 at 7:30 PM and 1/17 at 3:00 PM
Where: Christ Lutheran Church
Cost: $10.00 – $25.00
Granada, Spain is known for its Sierra Nevada mountain range, stunning ancient architecture, and the University of Granada. It is also know for inspiring beautiful chamber music in a wide range of composers, and you can hear samples of many of them at this Santa Cruz Chamber Players concert.
Coffee, Tea and History: Frederick Augustus Hihn, The Man Who Owned Aptos Village
This event is SOLD OUT.
When: 1/16 from 3:30 pm to 5:00 pm
Where: Rio Sands Hotel Community Room
Cost: $15
Frederick Augustus Hihn was a prominent businessman and politician in his heyday, with the Santa Cruz Sentinel heaping this praise on him in the 1800s: “In the House, Hon. F. A. Hihn is quite active, showing an energy and capacity equal to the best of the old and experienced members.”
Learn more about this dynamic Santa Cruz County figure, and enjoy some refreshments, at this illuminating presentation.
Will Swim for Food 2016
When: 1/16 at 8:00 am
Where: Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf
Cost: Free
Swimming a mile in 53 degree water might not sound like an idyllic Saturday morning, but when you factor in that all proceeds will benefit Food Banks worldwide, then it becomes a noble — and even fun — pursuit.
Beauty and the Barrel: Silent Auction Fundraiser
Enjoy a night of wine tasting and wine pulls for a good cause: a silent auction to benefit children with HIV/AIDS and former child soldiers in Kenya and Rwanda.
When: 1/16 from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm
Where: Sones Cellars
Cost: Free
Also on Saturday
- Citrus Fest @ all New Leaf Markets
- Gardens and Villa @ The Catalyst
- Eyes Open Meditation with Sadhvi Parananda @ The Center for Source Healing
- Animal Shelter Relief Rescue Adoption Fair! @ PetSmart
- AGLOW – Neon as Contemporary Art @ Michaelangelo Gallery
- Tour of the Historic Ranch Buildings @ Wilder Ranch State Park
- Wilder Ranch Coast Nature Walks @ Wilder Ranch State Park
- Guided Redwood Grove Walks @ Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park
- Redwood Grove Loop Walk @ Big Basin Redwoods State Park, Parks and Beaches
- EXTRA LARGE plus AZA @ Don Quixote’s
- The Meters Experience featuring Leo Nocentelli (Guitarist of The Meters) + Bernie Worrell (Keyboardist of Parliament-Funkadelic) @ Moe’s Alley
- There Is No Mountain, Henry Chadwick @ The Crepe Place
- JD McPherson @ Rio Theatre
- Save Our Shores: Clean the Streets – Brommer Street Park @ Brommer Street Park
- Save Our Shores: Underwater Parks Day Beach Cleanup @ Greyhound Rock County Park
- 8 Tens @ Eight Play Festival, at Center Stage Theater @ Center Stage Theatre
- Local Essence Members´ Exhibit – Part I (A-K) @ Santa Cruz Art League
Keep up with us all weekend long, and see which events we’re attending, by following Santa Cruz Life on Instagram.Sunday
Santa Cruz Chocolate Festival
Check out The Chocolate Lover’s Guide to Santa Cruz from A to Mackenzies!
When: 1/17 from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm
Where: The Cocoanut Grove
Cost: Admittance is free. Tasting tickets, 6 tastes for $15, Commemorative wine glasses, plus one taste $5.00
Enjoy samples of a wide range of different confectionary treats and help support re-entry students at UCSC at this beloved annual event. You can also learn new baking techniques, and even take part in the “Chocolate Alchemy 101” workshop.
Winter Wildflower Walk
When: 1/17 at 10:00 am
Where: Big Basin Redwoods State Park
Cost: Free
If you thought spring was the only time to take in newly bloomed wildflowers, think again! This free tour through Big Basin will focus on mosses, lichen, chaparral plants and more. Pack a water and a sack lunch and get ready to enjoy the view!
Legends of Granada: Musical Confections from the Heart of Andalusia
See Description Under Saturday Section
Also on Sunday
- Citrus Fest @ all New Leaf Markets
- 2Chainz @ The Catalyst
- Theta Healing for the New Year @ Mountain Spirit
- Live Comedy at the Crow’s Nest @ The Crow’s Nest
- Science Sunday @ Seymour Marine Discovery Center
- City of Watsonville Nature Walks @ 30 Harkins Slough Road
- Coffee Talk and Crafts @ Big Basin Redwoods State Park
- Vintage Americana Songcatchers Tour @ Don Quixote’s
- Muriel Anderson presents Wonderlust –A Virtual Tour Around The World In Music And Imagery @ Don Quixote’s
- Rebirth Brass Band @ Moe’s Alley
- New to Brew – Beginner Brewer Class @ Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing
- Sunday Seaside Crafts @ Seymour Marine Discovery Center
- 8 Tens @ Eight Play Festival, at Center Stage Theater @ Center Stage Theatre
- Local Essence Members´ Exhibit – Part I (A-K) @ Santa Cruz Art League
- AGLOW – Neon as Contemporary Art @ Michaelangelo Gallery
- The History of Wilder Ranch: Tour of the Historic Ranch Buildings @ Wilder Ranch State Park
- Redwood Grove Loop Walk @ Big Basin Redwoods State Park, Parks and Beaches
Featured Upcoming Event
Make this coming Monday a day on, not off. Honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by registering for a community volunteer project with the Volunteer Center of Santa Cruz County.
What: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. National Day of Service
Where: Locations throughout Santa Cruz County
When: Monday 1/18
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