This weekend brings art exhibits galore with First Friday events around town.
Also happening this weekend, learn the unique and ancient art of bonsai, experience the Santa Cruz Ballet Theatre accompanied by a live quartet, and get a head start on Easter celebrations.
See our picks for the top events each day this weekend:
Friday
First Friday
There’s just something special about the first Friday of the month. It’s practically a holiday in Santa Cruz, where we celebrate art and artists, live music, and free admission to some pretty cool places.
Enjoy free admission to the follow venues:
- The MAH (Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History) – Check out the new exhibition featuring Native American photography and artifacts.
- Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History – Educational, hands-on exhibits for children
Take a First Friday Art Tour and connect with local artists. Here are a few ideas to get started:
- ART WALK Boulder Creek
- Felton Art Walk
- Family Art and Science Evening @ Sanctuary Exploration Center
- Downtown Santa Cruz
Art Twistory: The Temples at Burning Man
When: 4/7 from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm
Where: Louden Nelson Community Center
Cost: $10 donation appreciated, $5 students and seniors.
This presentation of photos depicts and examines the annual week-long gathering that is Burning Man. If you’ve never gotten a chance to see it for yourself, this is a great opportunity to catch a glimpse into the event that has been described as an art festival, circus, social experiment, rave, camp-out and so much more. The photographs of Lori VanMeter bring you behind the scenes of the traditions and meaning of Burning Man and the annual creation and destruction of its temples.
Also on Friday
- The Descendents @ The Catalyst
- Larry and His Flask @ The Catalyst
- Fishhook @ The Cats Restaurant & Bar
- Joy Haley @ Zizzo’s Coffeehouse & Wine Bar
- Moonalice @ Don Quixote’s
- Locomotive Breath @ Crow’s Nest
- Dumpstaphunk @ Moe’s Alley
- Alasdair Fraser w/Natalie Haas @ Kuumbwa Jazz Center
- DIO Presents: Zeb Zaitz Band, Pat Hull @ The Crepe Place
- Andy McKee @ Rio Theatre
- Breeze Babes (Classic & Modern Rock & Roll) @ Severino’s
- Jewel Theatre Presents: The Dance of Death @ The Colligan Theater
- NEW WORK : Bianco / Hazels / Hiers / Niven @ Radius Gallery
- A Decade of Prints: Work by the MPC Printmakers @ Felix Kulpa Gallery
- Back To The Future Part II @ Del Mar Theatre
- UC Santa Cruz Satellite Reef Crochet Workshops @ Seymour Marine Discovery Center
- Wildflower and Nature Hike of Waddell Valley @ Rancho del Oso Unit
- Archeology Demonstration @ Santa Cruz Mission State Historic 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
Easter on the Farm
When: Saturday, April 8 from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm
Where: Agricultural History Project Center and Museum
Cost: Free
Celebrate the beginning of spring on the farm! Age-based egg hunts will be held every hour starting at 11:15 am and that is just the beginning. Enjoy hat and basket making, hayrides, a puppet show in the new puppet theater, tractor driving, mural painting, and more!
Capitola Mall Bunny Bash
When: Saturday, April 8 from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm
Where: Capitola Mall
Cost: Free
Hop on over to the mall for a fun-for-the-whole-family celebration. Activities include face painting, balloon twisters, a marionette show, crafts, games, and more. Free Easter buckets while supplies last so be sure to get there early.
Santa Cruz Ballet Theatre In Concert
When: 4/8 at 2:00 pm and 6:00 pm
Where: Cabrillo Crocker Theater
Cost: $13 to $25
Experience something different this weekend with the Santa Cruz Ballet Theatre. There will be a diverse mixed collection of performances including the “Paquita,” a classic dance with Spanish flair and Peasant Pas de Deux from the romantic “Giselle.” Plus, never before seen choreography by award-winning Robert Kelley performed to a live string quartet! There will also be some performances by the Junior and Petite Company dancers. Pirouette over for an evening of fine art and entertainment right here in our own community.
Santa Cruz Bonsai Kai 29th Annual Exhibit
When: 4/8 – 4/9 from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm
Where: MAH
Cost: $5
Have you ever wanted to learn bonsai, a unique art form that dates back 3000 years? Now is your chance! The Santa Cruz Bonsai Kai is a local club devoted to promoting bonsai and they will be exhibiting trees over the weekend. The highlight will be on 2pm each day when bonsai masters demonstrate the techniques of creating an artistic tree. There will even be a chance for you to purchase a bonsai of your own. Other activities include taiko and martial arts performances, as well as Sumi-e Japanese ink painting and origami crane demonstrations.
Snowy Plover Mud Stompin’
When: 4/8 from 9:30 am to 12 noon
Where: Elkhorn Slough
Cost: Free, but registration required
Walk along the salt ponds of the Moss Landing Wildlife Area to view and help protect the threatened Western snowy plovers as they begin nesting. Spread nesting materials and help create well camouflaged and safe pockets for eggs and new born chicks. Arrive early in the morning ready to trek through muddy sand and bring your binoculars to spot some magnificent wildlife.
The Art of Nature Exhibit
When: 4/8 from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm
Where: Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History
Cost: $0-$4
Open April 8th – June 18th
Art and science combine to showcase nature at the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History. Celebrate the artists who bring natural science to life through art in the annual Art of Nature exhibit. There will be a variety of media used to highlight subjects such as insects, plants, birds, mammals, landscapes and microorganisms. There will even be an illustration station for you to try drawing some insects and mammals of your own. A great chance to learn something new and test out some new skills.
Also on Saturday
- Philthy Rich @ The Catalyst
- Vinyl Replay @ The Cats Restaurant & Bar
- Musick’s Silver Sound: Baltimore Consort @ UCSC Music Center Recital Hall
- Just Judy @ Zizzo’s Coffeehouse & Wine Bar
- Front Country plus Flypaper Blues @ Don Quixote’s
- Room 9 @ Crow’s Nest
- SHLUMP + ShermGerm & Pilz @ Moe’s Alley
- Viva La Lehrer IV: The Fourth Annual Celebration of the Life and Songs of Tom Lehrer @ Kuumbwa Jazz Center
- DIO Fest Hype Night #2 @ The Crepe Place
- SIN SISTERS BURLESQUE @ The Catalyst
- Chas (patio) @ Severino’s
- Bone Drivers @ Severino’s
- Shallow Vices, August Sun, Dichorion, The Dead Conduit @ The Blue Lagoon
- Jewel Theatre Presents: The Dance of Death @ The Colligan Theater
- NEW WORK : Bianco / Hazels / Hiers / Niven @ Radius Gallery
- Coco’s Chicken & Waffles PopUp @ POPUP Downtown Santa cruz
- UC Santa Cruz Arboretum’s Spring Plant @ Arboretum
- City of Watsonville Nature Walks @ City of Watsonville – Nature Center
- Become a Docent at Castro Adobe State Historic Park @ Castro Adobe State Historic Park
- Volunteer with the Trail Crew @ Big Basin Redwoods State Park
- History, Nature and Scenic Views: A Tour of the Grey Whale Ranch Area @ Wilder Ranch State Park
- Shadowbrook Stroll @ Big Basin Redwoods State Park
- Living History Demonstrations and Ranch Tour @ Wilder Ranch State Park
- Guided Redwood Grove Walk @ Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park
- Redwood Grove Loop Walk @ Big Basin Redwoods State Park
- Geology Walk @ Año Nuevo State Park
- Discover Big Basin Redwoods Hike! @ Big Basin Redwoods State Park
- Sandhills Mobile Visitor Center @ Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park
- Choose Your Own Adventure Tour @ Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park
- Snake Park Saturday @ Rancho del Oso Unit
- Hides and Tallow @ Santa Cruz Mission State Historic Park
- Redwood Grove Loop Walk @ Big Basin Redwoods State Park
Keep up with us all weekend long, and see which events we’re attending, by following Santa Cruz Life on Instagram.Sunday
NEW WORK : Bianco / Hazels / Hiers / Niven
When: April 9 from 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm
Where: Radius Gallery (at Tannery Arts Center)
Cost: Free
Join the artists featured in Radius Gallery’s newest exhibition, New Work, as they lead conversation about their pieces. Featured artists include: Sarah Bianco (paintings on wood with acrylic, oil, and graphite), Ann Hazels (clay and metal), Peter Hiers (sculptures in rubber), and Margaret Niven (drawings on paper).
Santa Cruz Bonsai Kai 29th Annual Exhibit
See Description Under Friday Section
Also on Sunday
- Rasta Cruz Reggae Party @ Motiv
- Picasso Ensemble 20th Anniversary Celebration Concert @ Sesnon House at Cabrillo College
- Joe Ferrara @ The Cats Restaurant & Bar
- The Box @ The Blue Lagoon
- Live Comedy @ Crow’s Nest
- Webb Wilder @ Moe’s Alley
- Swing Dance Classes @ Pacific Arts Complex
- Santa Cruz Half Marathon, 10K & 5K @ Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
- Younger Lagoon Reserve Tour @ Seymour Marine Discovery Center
- Radius Gallery : Artists’ Talk @ Radius Gallery
- Downtown Santa Cruz Antique Street Faire @ Downtown Santa Cruz
- Community Rental: Solidarity Sundays @ MAH
- Weekly Davenport Main Beach @ Davenport beach
- Walk among the Wildflowers @ Porter Ranch
- Jewel Theatre Presents: The Dance of Death @ The Colligan Theater
- NEW WORK : Bianco / Hazels / Hiers / Niven @ Radius Gallery
- Living History Demonstrations and Ranch Tour @ Wilder Ranch State Park
- Redwood Grove Loop Walk @ Big Basin Redwoods State Park
- Sandhills Mobile Visitor Center @ Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park
- Nature Wander @ Rancho del Oso Unit
- Discover Big Basin Redwoods Hike! @ Big Basin Redwoods State Park
- Guided Redwood Grove Walk @ Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park
- Redwood Grove Loop Walk @ Big Basin Redwoods State Park
Featured Upcoming Event
What: Spring Concert – “For the Beauty of the Earth”
Where: Calvary Episcopal Church
When: April 22 at 8:00 pm and April 23 at 4:00 pm
Cost: In advance—$12 General/Senior, $5 Student; Door—$15 General, $12 Senior, $5 Student
In the spirit of Earth Day, join Ariose Singers, Santa Cruz’s highly regarded chamber choir, for a concert celebrating the wonder and tribulations of life on our planet. Under the direction of new artistic director, Camille Couture, the concert program features Aaron Copland’s The Lark as well as Frostiana, Randall Thompson’s setting of seven Robert Frost poems.
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