This Weekend in Santa Cruz: July 13th – 16th, 2017

By Christine Candelaria

We’re kicking off the weekend early with a couple of Thursday events we think you’ll love—a popup picnic and a 5 year business anniversary extravaganza.

Summer Festival season continues with celebrations of beer, art, and wine at multiple venues, plus more beer and all things fermented at Sunday’s Fermentation Festival.

Top it off with a family-friendly carnival, dog-friendly community walk, and youth-friendly hangout and movie screening, and that’s a wrap! Enjoy your weekend!

See our picks for the top events each day this weekend:

Thursday

PopUP Picnic in the Park

PopUp Picnic in the Park 2016: Taquitos Gabriel

When: 7/13 from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm
Where: Santa Cruz Mission State Historic Park
Cost: Free Admission

If you are in or near Downtown on Thursdays this summer, consider your lunch plans made. PopUp Picnics in the Park have returned to Santa Cruz Mission State Historic Park with a different vendor each week. This week features Club Tuxpan with a Jalisco-themed menu. Future popup vendors include the Homeless Garden Project, Empire Grade Purveyors (paella), Joli Mole (tamales), and Taquitos Gabriel (our favorite from last summer!) Picnic tables and blankets are provided, not to mention a great view to the ocean on a clear day.

Get more info here.

Yōso Wellness Spa 5 Year Anniversary Celebration & Fundraiser

When: 7/13 from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm
Where: Yōso Wellness Spa, 720 River Street, Santa Cruz
Cost: Free Entry

Yōso Wellness Spa is celebrating its 5 year anniversary with a party in the parking lot and the whole community is invited! This family-friendly celebration features live music from local favorites The Coffis Brothers, food and drink for purchase by Food Trucks A Go Go and Stockwell Cellars, Museum of Discovery for the littles, and an awesome array of raffle prizes from the spa, BodyFit, Annieglass, little Basin Cabins & Campground, Olita’s, Sotola Bar & Grill, and more! Proceeds from the event will benefit Katz Cancer Resource Center of Dignity Health.

Get more info here.

Also on Thursday

Villalobos Brothers @ Kuumbwa Jazz Center

Friday

Blue Öyster Cult

When: 7/14 at 6:30 pm & 8:30 pm
Where: Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
Cost: Free

Friday Night Bands on the Beach continues with Blue Öyster Cult performing two free concerts back to back at 6:30 pm and 8:30 pm. Come on baby, don’t fear the reaper!

Get more info here.

CabaGay 2017!

When: 7/14 – 7/15 from 8:00 pm to 10:00 pm
Where: Motion Pacific
Cost: $20 – $50

Expect a fun evening featuring a rainbow of talented artists at Motion Pacific’s first queer cabaret and variety show. Enjoy cocktails, entertainment (Kim Luke is part of the line up!), and a good time for a good cause—this event benefits Motion Pacific and the Santa Cruz Diversity Center.

Get more info here.

Jaimal Yogis, All Our Waves Are Water

When: 7/14 at 7:00 pm
Where: Bookshop Santa Cruz
Cost: Free

For Jaimal Yogis, the path to enlightenment is surfing. It doesn’t get more Santa Cruz-y than that. He’ll be discussing his latest book, All Our Waves Are Water: Stumbling Toward Enlightenment and the Perfect Ride, at Bookshop this Friday evening, followed by a book signing. Seating generally opens up one hour prior to start time.

Get more info here.

Food Truck Friday at Skypark

When: 7/14 from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm
Where: Skypark in Scotts Valley

Always a great way to end the week and kick off the weekend, Food Truck Friday returns to Skypark with lots of food trucks and lots of fun! Enjoy a delicious beverage from the beer and wine garden and some of the best eats our local food trucks have to offer, including Aunt Lali’s, Ate3One, Holopono, Saucey’z, G’s Mexican Tacos, and Lindsey’s Palate Pleasures.

Get more info here.

Also on Friday

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Saturday

Hop N Barley Beer & BBQ Festival

When: 7/15 at 10:00 am
Where: Skypark
Cost: $5 – $55

The 8th Hop N’ Barley Festival brings over 50 breweries & 12 cideries to Skypark in Scotts Valley. There will be live music on two stages, food, beer games, and lots of fun for the whole family, including dogs. But the fun doesn’t end Saturday. Homebrewers of beer, cider, and wine can compete and connect with other DIY’ers at Sunday’s Fermentation Festival (see Sunday).

Get more info here.

2nd Annual Dave Stamey Benefit for Blue Horse Rescue

When: 7/15 from 4:00 pm to 8:30 pm
Where: Corralitos Grange
Cost: $50

Blue Horse Rescue is hosting a fundraiser to help the horses—they provide unwanted horses with a safe and nurturing environment while they heal physically, mentally and emotionally from situations of abandonment, neglect and abuse. The benefit concert and BBQ features Dave Stamey’s music, a silent auction, raffle, and dinner.

Get more info here.

Passport Celebration Days

When: 7/15 from 12:00 pm to 5:00 pm
Where: Various Wineries
Cost: $65

Once a quarter, 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.

Get more info here.

Wild Animal Book Talk with Tai Moses

When: 7/15 from 3:30 pm to 6:00 pm
Where: Natural Bridges State Beach

Join Friends of Santa Cruz State Parks and local author Tai Moses at a reading and discussion of her book, Zooburbia: Meditations on the Wild Animals Among Us. What better place to talk about the wild animals among us than Natural Bridges where bobcats, deer, hawks, and squirrels are just a few of the wild animals who also call Santa Cruz home.

Get more info here.

Wacky Carnival Fun

When: 7/15 from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM
Where: Laurel Park and Louden Nelson Community Center
Cost: Free

In celebration of Parks Make Life Better Month, Santa Cruz Parks and Rec is throwing a carnival complete with games, face painting, popcorn, and a 20-foot inflatable slide! All ages welcome.

Get more info here.

Bargetto Winery’s 29th Annual Art & Wine Festival

When: 7/15 & 7/16 from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm
Where: Bargetto Winery in Soquel
Cost: Free Admission (Wine Tasting w/ purchase of $10 Festival Glass)

Bargetto Winery’s beautiful grounds become an art and wine fest this weekend. Buy a keepsake festival glass for $10 and taste to your heart’s content. Live music and lots of local art on hand. Food available for purchase.

Get more info here.

CabaGay 2017!

See Description Under Friday Section

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

Paws in the Park

When: 7/16 at 10:00 am
Where: San Lorenzo Park (meet at Gateway Plaza)

Parade with your pup along the San Lorenzo River! Partnered with the Coastal Watershed Council and BirchBark Foundation, join WoofPack831 for a community dog walk. Enjoy the beauty of the river while getting some exercise for you and your furry friend. These walks take place the 3rd Sunday of every month throughout the summer so if you can’t make this one, mark your calendars for Paws in the Park on August 20 and September 17.

Get more info here.

Sunday Art & Music at the Beach – Singing Wood Marimba

When: 7/16 from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm
Where: Esplanade Park

Capitola’s beachside Esplanade Park transforms into a local artist’s fair today and multiple Sundays throughout the summer. This Sunday, enjoy the joyful sounds of Singing Wood Marimba as you shop by the sea.

Get more info here.

Annual Santa Cruz County Fermentation Festival -N- Beer Masters Cup

When: 7/16 from 12:00 pm to 5:00 pm
Where: Skypark Scotts Valley
Cost: $20 – $25, Kids under 10 years are Free

Calling all fermentation fans—lovers of beer, kombucha, probiotic sodas and all things fermented—this festival is just for you! Enjoy music, presentations, demonstrations, tastings, and the event highlight, the Home Brewed Beer Challenge, where you can weigh in on who deserves the coveted Beer Masters Cup.

Get more info here.

Lost Childhoods: Movie Extravanganza

When: 7/16 from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm
Where: MAH Auditorium
Cost: Free Admission but registration is requested

Youth are highly encouraged to attend this fun-filled day at the MAH in celebration of their newest exhibition, Lost Childhoods: Voices of Santa Cruz County Foster Youth. There will be a movie screening of Hunt for the Wilderpeople, ice cream, and fun youth-led activities like button-making, screen printing, and zine-making. All ages welcome.

Get more info here.

Bargetto Winery’s 29th Annual Art & Wine Festival

See Description Under Saturday Section

Also on Sunday

Santa Cruz Shakespeare: The 39 Steps @ The Grove at DeLaveaga Park

Featured Upcoming Event

What: 25th Annual Polynesian Festival & Aloha Outrigger Races
Where: Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf
When: Sunday August 20
Cost: Free Admission

Experience the aloha spirit at one of Santa Cruz’s most beloved events. Get your team together for exciting outrigger canoe races (new and novice paddlers welcome), or come cheer on your friends. Then stroll down the wharf for Hawaiian and Polynesian crafts, dance, and more.

Get more info here.

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Christine Candelaria

Christine Candelaria is a local mom of four who enjoys sharing her Santa Cruz adventures. You can follow her #santacruzlife on Instagram at @theaumsmama.

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