There are a lot of diverse and exciting events going on this weekend, with offerings that will appeal to all interests, from mountain bikers to reggae devotees, fans of Mixed Martial Arts to ballet appreciators, and art lovers to bookworms. No matter what your tastes, there’s sure to be an event for you.
Read on for our picks for this weekend.
Pop Up Opening Day
When: Fri, 4/4, 6 pm
Where: Pop Up venue, 1108 Pacific Ave.
There’s been a lot of buzz about The Glass Jar‘s new retail food concept, Pop Up: a space dedicated to featuring guest chefs for short periods of time, and this Friday is their opening day. There’s sure to be line when Pop Up opens at 6 pm, with Bespoke Donuts offering made-to-order, sweet or savory, gourmet donuts.
First Friday Art Tour
When: Fri, 4/4, various times
Where: Various locations
How much: Free
Do many of you look forward to First Fridays as much as I do? I love taking part almost monthly in the First Friday Art Tour. Not only that, I usually take the opportunity to see what’s new at Free First Friday at the MAH (don’t miss the excellent Nikki McClure exhibit). You can also check out First Friday Free Day at the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History.
Lost, Found, Adrift…
When: Friday, 4/4, 6 – 9 pm
Where: Parking lot on the corner of Cedar and Locust, downtown Santa Cruz
How much: free
Work.shop, a mobile art gallery in a trailer, will be showing works by printmaker Lucas Elmer, as well as wood sculptures and a film by sculptor Jared Roth.This is part of the First Friday Art Tour, but seeing as it includes a campfire and rumor of a marshmallow roast, and takes place at a moveable art gallery, it merits its own listing. More details here.
Santa Cruz Warriors
When: Friday, 4/4, 7 pm
Where: Kaiser Permanente Arena
How much: $16-$38
It’s the Erie Bayhawks versus the beloved Warriors, at the Warriors’ last home game of the regular season. Get tickets here.
5th Annual Mountain Bike Festival
When: Saturday, 4/5 & Sunday, 4/6, 9 am – 5 pm
Where: Aptos Village
How much: Prices vary
Mountain biking culture is big in Santa Cruz, with excellent trails, top-level athletes and a thriving cycling industry. This 2-day event, which attracted over 9,000 attendees last year, has a schedule full of skills clinics, competitions, and demo opportunities. Click here for all the details.
Showdown in Surftown
When: Saturday, 4/5, 6 pm
Where: Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium
How much: $18.50 – $29.50
Five local amateur Mixed Martial Artists will be featured in this nine-fight event. Three top UFC fighters will be in attendance. You can buy tickets here.
A Scottish Festival Concert
When: Saturday, 4/5, 7:30 pm
Where: UCSC Music Recital Hall
How much: $5-$23
This concert, part of the Santa Cruz Baroque Festival, will feature Scottish-style fiddlers and pipers. Guaranteed to be lively: folk dancing is encouraged. You can get more info here.
Santa Cruz Ballet Theatre: In Concert
When: Saturday, 4/5, 1:30 & 4:30 pm
Where: Cabrillo Crocker Theater
How much: $12 – $24
Featuring music by the Kuumbwa Jazz Honor Band, a contemporary ballet premiere choreographed by Artistic Director Robert Kelley, an excerpt from La Bayadère, and a story ballet based on Thornton Wilder’s “Our Town”. Find more info and tickets here.
Prezident Brown
When: Saturday, 4/5, 9 pm
Where: Moe’s Alley
How much: $12 – $15
Well-respected and widely-toured Jamaican reggae artist Prezident Brown brings a bit of sunshine to Santa Cruz this weekend. Get advance tickets here.
Here’s a video of one of the Prezident’s trademark songs, Rough Road:
Que Caliente
When: Sunday, 4/6, 9 pm
Where: Don Quixote’s
How much: $10
Que Caliente specializes in Afro-Cuban and salsa tunes, and Latin jazz. Reserve your tickets here.
Lorrie Moore at Bookshop Santa Cruz
When: Sunday, 4/6, 7:30 pm
Where: Bookshop Santa Cruz
How much: Free
Acclaimed fiction writer Lorrie Moore will be reading from her latest collection of short stories, Bark. More details here.
Tour of UCSC Organic Farm
When: Sunday, 4/6, 2 – 3:30 pm
Where: UCSC Farm, UC Santa Cruz
How much: Free
The first Sunday of the month, between April and November, UCSC’s 30-acre organic farm run by the Center for Agroecology & Sustainable Food Systems (CASFS) offers free docent-led tours. Visitors on the tour get to hear about sustainable methods of creating fertile soil and controlling pests, recycling yard and kitchen waste, conserving water, and promoting biodiversity in the garden.
Additional Events This Weekend:
Friday, April 4th:
- Movie Matinee: Peter Pan at Aptos Branch SCPL
- Brad Mehldau Trio at Kuumbwa
- Giro New Road Cycling Apparel Launch Party
- Ensemble Nova & Special Guests at UCSC
Saturday, April 5th:
- Walk & Talk with Nikki McClure at MAH
- Guided Walks and Other Activities at Various State Parks
- Feeding the Hungry Ghosts at MAH/Evergreen Cemetery
- Cunninlynguists at The Catalyst
Sunday, April 6th:
- San Andreas Quartet
- Jesse Autumn records an album live at Kuumbwa
- Friends of the Library Book & Media Sale
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