Santa Cruz Weekend Events: March 6 – 8, 2015

It’s shaping up to be a beautiful weekend in Santa Cruz, and there are plenty of fun activities to choose from over the next couple days.  We’ve got a great First Friday lineup, a sitcom star comes to town, two film festivals, and more.

Read on to see our picks for the best events in Santa Cruz this weekend.

First Friday

Today is the First Friday of the month, which means it’s time for the First Friday Art Tour.  Here are a few of the highlights you will find this Friday:

• First Friday Art Tour
• First Friday Art Walk in Felton
• Masters Series III
• Fearless! A group show with Sefla Joseph and her community of students
• Coastal Spirits – Countywide Artists
• First Friday: California Dreaming Exhibition
• Free First Friday at the MAH
• First Friday Free Day at the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History

George Lopez

When: Friday, 3/6 at 8:00 pm
Where: Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium
How Much: $42.95 – $49.95

Sitcom star and late night host George Lopez is known for poking fun at his Latino heritage, and also for being a crowd pleaser.  He’ll most likely please the crowd at Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium this Friday night.

Get more info here.

Santa Cruz Warriors vs. Idaho Stampede

When: Friday, 3/6 & Saturday, 3/7 at 7:00 pm
Where: Kaiser Permanente Arena
How Much: $50

Surf City will take on the potato capital of the country in a two game set this weekend, when Santa Cruz’s own NBA “D” League team will face off against the Idaho Stampede.

Get tickets here.

Extra Large

When: Saturday, 3/7 at 9:00 pm
Where: Crow’s Nest Restaurant
How Much: $7

Extra Large has been voted “Best Local Band in Santa Cruz” nine times in a row, and the feel good funk squad will continue to liven things up for locals this weekend.  Get ready to dance along to the self described “fiesta facilitators.”

Get more info here.

SCAP’S AIDS Fun Run and Walk

When: Saturday, 3/7 from 9:30 am – 12:00 pm
Where: San Lorenzo Park
How Much: $25 + Fundraise $100

The Santa Cruz AIDS Project donates every penny it receives for the Fun Run and Walk to helping those living with AIDS and educating the community about prevention.  Lend your Saturday morning jog to a great cause this weekend.

Get more info here.

Tandy Beal – First Saturday Family Concert: Keith Terry’s Crosspulse Percussion Ensemble

When: Saturday, 3/7 from 11:00 am – 12:00 pm
Where: Santa Cruz Vets Hall
How Much: $10-$15

The Crosspulse Percussion Ensemble likely derived its name for the way the band draws from a large cross section of styles, instruments, and regions of origin.  Listen to it all collide into a lively concert this Saturday night.

Get more info here.

Hummingbird Days

When: Saturday, 3/7 through Sunday, 3/8 from 8:00 am – 3:30 pm
Where: UCSC Arboretum
How Much: $10.  Free for Arboretum members, UCSC students & children under 17.

Birdwatching group  Audobon California voted the Allen Hummingbird as its Bird of the Year for 2014, and you can witness its beauty yourself right here in town, at the UCSC Arboretum.  There will be guided tours, educational presentations, and crafts and activities for kids.

Get more info here.

10th Annual Secret Film Festival

When: Saturday, 3/7 11:59 pm through Sunday, 3/8 at noon
Where: Del Mar Theater
How Much: $21

If spending all night in a movie theater with no clue as to what will play next is appealing to you, then you’ll be in good company at the Del Mar’s Secret Film Festival. Tickets have been known to sell out, so try to grab yours in advance.

Get more info here.

Watsonville Film Festival

When: Friday, 3/6 through Sunday, 3/8 at various times
Where: Henry J. Mello Center, Watsonville
How Much: $10, free for 18 and under with student ID

Explore food, Chicano heritage stories, art, history, and much more at the Watsonville Film Festival, where filmmakers ranging from high school students to Pulitzer Prize winners will show their stuff .

Get more info here.

Downtown Antique Fair

When:  Sunday, 3/8 from  9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Where: Downtown Santa Cruz
How Much: Free

At the Downtown Antique Fair, you’ll have the power to make something old new again, or at least new to you.  With its wide range of vendors and merchandise, this fair has something for every age, interest, and budget.

Get more info here.

 Additional events this weekend

Friday:

• It Had To Be You-a musical review
• Slugs N’ Roses Grateful Dead Tribute plus Achilles Wheel
• Harper Regan, by Simon Stephens
• Steven Graves Band CD Release Show
• UCSC Chamber Singers
• Wine & Watercolors
• Andre Nickatina
• KZSC Presents:The Frights, Death Lens, Watergate
• Na Leo Pumehana – Warm Voices of the Heart

Friday & Saturday

• The English Beat

Saturday:

• Material Illusions
• Feed Me Jack // Superfool – Club Kuumbwa
• Retro Mystery Tournament
• Local Essence Member’s Exhibit II (A – K)
• The Groggs, Beach Fuzz, Pyromids, Panther
• Pop Up Museum with Watsonville Film Fest on the theme “Define American”
• The Global Oceans Awards Gala

Sunday:

• Royal Shakespeare Company presents LOVE’S LABOURS LOST
• “PLAY IT FAST FOR CHEETAHS: Stevie Coyle, Carol McComb & Kathleen Larisch, Shamrocks & Poison Oak, Shelley Phillips & Michael Glick,Celtic Cats”
• Sunday Seaside Crafts
• Younger Lagoon Reserve Tour
• Soquel Demonstration Forest Ride

Recurring Events You Can Find Every Weekend

• Tours of the Reserve at Elkhorn Slough (weekly event – every Saturday & Sunday)
• Santa Cruz Farmers Markets (weekly events)
• Live Comedy at the Crow’s Nest (weekly event – every Sunday night)

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