Photo by Valerie Lemke
We have a great variety of events in Santa Cruz this Thanksgiving Weekend. Whether you’re Team Opt Outside, Team Shop ’til You Drop, or even Team What Do I Do With My Visiting Relatives?, we have you covered.
Read on for ideas to enjoy the great outdoors, support local causes, honor your favorite holiday traditions, or try something new: a Yogathon or Stashe Dash, anyone?
See our picks for the top events each day this weekend:
Ready or not, the holidays are here, along with craft fairs, local celebrations, and time-honored traditions.
Be sure to check out our Holiday Guides where you’ll find what to do and where to shop this holiday season.
Jump to the Santa Cruz Holiday Guides
Friday
JOY! A Holiday Show
Wondering what to do with your Thanksgiving weekend houseguests? How about wowing them with a holiday circus! Tandy Beal & Company presents a brand new holiday spectacular complete with acrobats, dancers, and live music performers.
When: November 24 – 26
Where: Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium
Cost: $12.25 – $55.50; Groups 10+ Discount
Observation Deck Hike
When: 11/24 at 1:00 pm
Where: Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park
Cost: Event is free; parking is $10
Towering redwoods meet rare ancient marine deposits on this approximately 5-mile loop excursion. Nothing like a hike to press some reset buttons post-Thanksgiving indulgence, and the panoramic views from the Observation Deck are well worth the effort. If you can’t make this date, don’t worry. We know another trail that leads to the Observation Deck and the Santa Cruz Sandhills.
Friday Night Live: The Puffball Collective
When: 11/24 from 6:30 pm to 9:00 pm
Where: Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History
Don’t know about you, but we’ve been enjoying listening to live music on the weekends at Abbott Square. And there’s something about the name Puffball Collective that you just know some dancing is going to be involved, too. See you there!
Mountain Community Theater Presents: “The Ultimate Christmas Show (abridged)”
When: 11/24 – 12/17 Fridays/Saturdays at 8:00 pm, Sundays at 2:00 pm
Where: Park Hall
Cost: $17 – $20 plus service fee
It’s a dark and stormy night in the San Lorenzo Valley, and all the roads into the Valley have been closed (sound familiar?). This is the set up for The Ultimate Christmas Show (abridged), a hilarious show that will boost your holiday spirit while possibly poking fun at it. There will be singing, a live band, holiday desserts, and you can even bring a wrapped holiday gift to participate in an audience gift exchange.
Also on Friday
- New Found Glory @ The Catalyst
- Record Store Day Black Friday! @ Streetlight Records
- Random Rab plus KR3TURE @ Don Quixote’s
- Sasha’s Money @ Crow’s Nest
- Through The Roots @ Moe’s Alley
- Candace, Speck, Marmalade Knives @ The Crepe Place
- Terror Reid @ The Catalyst
- D’ oh Bros (Classic Rock) @ Severino’s
- Jewel Theatre Presents: Always… Patsy Cline @ The Colligan Theater
- A Christmas Carol @ Louden Nelson Community Center
- The Gail Project: “An Okinawan-American Dialogue” @ Mary Porter Sesnon Art Gallery
- Literary: Mountain Voices – Poetry Night @ Santa Cruz Mountains Art Center
- Santa Cruz Holiday Lights Train @ Departs from the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
- Holiday Tree Walk @ Roaring Camp Railroads
- Life Among 2,000 Year Old Giants @ Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park
- Outlook from Mt. McAbee @ Big Basin Redwoods State Park
- Redwood Grove Loop Walk @ Big Basin Redwoods State Park
- Mission Building Game @ Santa Cruz Mission State Historic Park
- Redwood Grove Loop Walk @ Big Basin Redwoods State Park
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
5th Annual Santa Cruz Stache Dash 1k/5k/10k Fun Run for Charity
When: 11/25 from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm
Where: Swift Street Courtyard (Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing Co)
Cost: $15 – $30
No mustache is too big or too small to join the Stashe Dash—even fake ones are allowed! The whole point is to raise awareness and funds for prostate cancer research, and the whole family can get in on the fun. Sign the kids up for the 1k, register yourself for the 5k/10k walk/run and meet up at the finish line (Santa Cruz Mountain Brewery) for ice cream, beer, and live music by The Coffee Zombie Collective.
Santa Cruz Mountains Holiday Makers Market
When: 11/25 from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm
Where: Felton Community Hall – 6191 Highway 9, Felton, CA
Cost: FREE Admission
Shop the art, music, and tastes of the Santa Cruz mountains community. This free public event is held indoors and features live local music while you discover treasures and gifts. Best of all, your shopping dollars help benefit a local non-profit, Mountain Community Resources.
Surfin’ Santa
When: November 25, from 12:00 pm to 3:00 pm
Where: Capitola Beach
Watch Santa and his reindeer arrive on Capitola Beach via outrigger canoe and surfboard. Once settled in his beach chair, Santa will visit with all the children and listen to their holiday wishes. Be sure to bring your camera to capture the memories!
Surfin’ Santa Photo Credit: Capitola-Soquel Chamber of Commerce
Tandy Beal & Company Presents “JOY!”
See Description Under Friday Section
Mountain Community Theater Presents: “The Ultimate Christmas Show (abridged)”
See Description Under Friday Section
Also on Saturday
- Lydia Joy – Acoustic Blues and Originals @ The Blue Lounge
- Green jelly Fux Infirmities Law Abiding Citizens Psychos In Love @ The Blue Lagoon
- Naked Bootleggers plus Windy Hill @ Don Quixote’s
- Extra Large @ Crow’s Nest
- ISRAEL VIBRATION & Roots Radics, Animo Cruz & DJ Spleece @ Moe’s Alley
- Grand Larson, The Brave Mystics @ The Crepe Place
- Getter @ The Catalyst
- Live Again @ Severino’s
- Jewel Theatre Presents: Always… Patsy Cline @ The Colligan Theater
- A Christmas Carol @ Louden Nelson Community Center
- Santa Cruz Holiday Lights Train @ Departs from the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
- Holiday Tree Walk @ Roaring Camp Railroads
- Old Cove Landing Coast Nature Walk @ Wilder Ranch State Park
- Living History Demonstrations and Ranch Tour @ Wilder Ranch State Park
- Redwood Grove Loop Walk @ Big Basin Redwoods State Park
- Snakes Alive! @ Big Basin Redwoods State Park
- Mission Cooking Demonstration @ Santa Cruz Mission State Historic Park
- Redwood Grove Loop Walk @ Big Basin Redwoods State Park
- City of Watsonville Nature Walks @ City of Watsonville – Nature Center
Keep up with us all weekend long, and see which events we’re attending, by following Santa Cruz Life on Instagram.Sunday
Wellness for Warriors
When: 11/26 from 8:00 am to 5:30 pm
Where: Urban Sanctuary 881 41st Ave Santa Cruz, CA 95062
Cost: $20 Suggested Donation
Tandy Beal & Company Presents “JOY!”
See Description Under Friday Section
Mountain Community Theater Presents: “The Ultimate Christmas Show (abridged)”
See Description Under Friday Section
Also on Sunday
- Joe Ferrara @ The Cats Restaurant & Bar
- THE GUITARSONISTS: Chris Cain, Daniel Castro & Mighty Mike Schermer @ Moe’s Alley
- The Box @ The Blue Lagoon
- Live Comedy @ Crow’s Nest
- Jewel Theatre Presents: Always… Patsy Cline @ The Colligan Theater
- A Christmas Carol @ Louden Nelson Community Center
- Holiday Tree Walk @ Roaring Camp Railroads
- Living History Demonstrations and Ranch Tour @ Wilder Ranch State Park
- Redwood Grove Loop Walk @ Big Basin Redwoods State Park
- Redwood Grove Loop Walk @ Big Basin Redwoods State Park
Featured Upcoming Event
What: Family Friendly First Friday at the Tannery
Where: Tannery Arts Center
When: Friday, December 1, from 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm
Families are invited to welcome winter and celebrate community! There will be tons of activities for the kids, the Tannery’s own studio and loft artists will be showing and selling their work, live music, a festive Light Up the Night bike ride, and more.
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