Santa Cruz continues to embrace the Halloween spirit this weekend with many more events geared toward the upcoming holiday including spooky forest tours, youth rock shows with a costume contest and a floating pumpkin patch.
The Boardwalk holds it’s annual chili cooking contest, San Lorenzo Park sees people transform to colors of the rainbow, comedy hits Boulder Creek and a local author speaks about his new book focused on Bookshop Santa Cruz.
See our picks for the top events each day this weekend:
Halloween Events in Santa Cruz 2016
Catch every Halloween event in Santa Cruz County this month with our Santa Cruz Halloween Event Guide.
Friday
Joey Cook & The PartyRaddlers presents THE VARIETY SHOW!
When: 10/21 at 8:00 pm
Where: Bocci’s Cellar
Joey Cook, an American Idol season top 7 finalist, and her band bring an energetic, eclectic experience to Bocci’s Cellar. The 7-member group will stir up some gypsy jazz and bluegrass using ukuleles, accordions, xylophones, baby pianos and more.
Live Comedy in Boulder Creek – Samantha Gilweit
When: 10/21 from 7:30 pm to 10:00 pm
Where: lille aeske Art House & Boutique
Cost: $10 – $20 (pay-what-you-will)
Samantha Gilweit along with six other comedians are sure to have you in stiches. Ms. Gilweit has performed at San Francisco’s The Punchline and all over the Bay Area and L.A. A single mom and writer, her comedy packs a punch with straightforward confessions and humorous criticisms.
Also on Friday
- Mike “Maz” Maher @ Kuumbwa Jazz Center
- Drifting Compass CD Release Party @ Henfling’s Firehouse Tavern
- Yellowcard Like Torches & Dryjacket @ The Catalyst
- Spirit of ’76 with special guest Mark Karan of Ratdog Fame @ Don Quixote’s
- Rachelle & HipShake @ Crow’s Nest
- BIG SAM’S FUNKY NATION @ Moe’s Alley
- Charlie Parr, Birdman (Jeff Wilson) @ The Crepe Place
- Stellar Corpses @ The Catalyst
- Spun (Rock, Reggae, Blues, and Disco) @ Severino’s
- Dipygus, Moirai, Body Void, Dingus @ The Blue Lagoon
- Joe Ferrara @ Shadowbrook Restaurant
- Community Drumming with Jim Greiner in Soquel On October 21st @ Inner Light Center
- Film: Journey in Sensuality @ Rio Theatre
- bash: latterday plays @ Broadway Playhouse
- Beginning Adult Flamenco @ International Academy of Dance
- Argentine Tango Dancing @ Tannery World Dance & Cultural Center
- The 2016 Mountain Affair, benefiting Mountain Community Resources @ Mountain Community Resources
- B12 Happy Hour @ Thrive Natural Medicine
- Simple Life Instructions: DADA at Radius @ Radius Gallery
- SCPL On the Go Pop-Ups @ Aptos Library
- Santa Cruz CORE Fitness + Rehab Semi-Private Training Core @ Santa Cruz CORE Fitness + Rehab
- A Stellar Experience – Star Gazing at Quail Hollow @ Quail Hollow Ranch
- Watsonville Farmers Market @ Downtown Watsonville
- Watsonville Queer Youth Meet-up @ First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
- Emerita Professor Donna Haraway in Conversation with Christine and Margaret Wertheim @ Stevenson Event Center
- The International Circus @ Skypark in Scotts Valley
- Santa Cruz Food Truck Event @ San Lorenzo 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
VOLUNTEER CENTER OF SANTA CRUZ-MAKE A DIFFERENCE DAY
When: 10/22 from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm
Where: THROUGHOUT SANTA CRUZ COUNTY
Cost: FREE
Make A Difference Day is the largest day of service in the U.S. Organizers put together a list of projects throughout our community. Check it out and join one or more. Help make a difference by cleaning, clearing and revitalizing Santa Cruz County.
GLOW: A Festival of Fire & Light 2016
When: 10/22 from 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm
Where: Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History
Cost: $20 General, $15 Kids 12 and under, $10 MAH Members
The MAH takes it outside this evening for a celebration filled with LED sculptures and interactive art, flaming cannonades, fire dancing, flaming pianos, fire breathers and more. Cooper Street will be closed off to demonstrate all the light and fire. Abbott Square too will overflow with art, music and dancing. We can’t wait to see the night light up!
Sustain Farm Supper
When: 10/22 from 3:00 pm to 6:30 pm
Where: Homeless Garden Project Farm
Cost: $125
Enjoy a 4-course meal on an organic farm, prepared by top local chefs including Mark Denham of Soif, Kendra Baker of Assembly, Charlie Ayers of Calafia, and Stephen Beaumier and Katy Oursler of Mutari Chocolate. In addition to your fabulous meal, listen to keynote speaker Novella Carpenter, author of the bestselling memoir, Farm City: The Education of an Urban Farmer.
Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk Chili Cook-Off
When: 10/22 Public Tasting begins at 1:00 pm
Where: Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
Cost: Free Admission, $10 for Tasting Kits
As the weather grows colder, there’s nothing better than a hearty bowl of chili to warm your spirits. The Boardwalk’s 7th Annual Chili Cook-Off is your chance to try the best from both amateur and professional chefs. Purchase a Tasting Kit and sample up to six chili concoctions, then cast your vote for the best. Yum! A portion of the proceeds benefits Marine Mammal Center.
The Missing Arm of William Waddell
When: 10/22 at 6:30 pm
Where: Big Basin Redwoods State Park
Cost: Free Admission, $10.00 parking fee.
Big Basin gets into the Halloween spirit by taking you on a short night hike followed by a ghost story told by campfire. Hear the tale of William Waddell, a lumber mill owner in days gone by who had a dastardly encounter with a grizzly bear. Yikes! Bring a flashlight for the walk. Walks take place every 15 minutes. The campfire story is not too scary for children.
Holi Festival of Colors
When: 10/22 from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm
Where: San Lorenzo Park
Cost: $5 plus purchase of “color throws”
In India, Holi announces the arrival of spring and the passing of winter. In Santa Cruz, San Lorenzo Park goes rainbow with mantra bands, interactive dance, DJ’s, yoga, and of course, the playful throwing of colored powder every hour. Wearing all white is highly encouraged!
Be Natural Kid’s Rock Halloween
When: 10/22 at 1:00 pm
Where: Don Quixote’s
Cost: $7 adv./$7 door Children Under 3 Free seated <21 w/parent
Get ready to rock as eight youth rock bands take to the stage. This family event includes a raffle and costume contest. All raffle proceeds go toward the Be Natural Music Scholarship Program.
Bark’tober Fest
When: 10/22 from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm
Where: Sante Adairius Rustic Ales
Cost: $40
Celebrate the season with man’s best friend…beer. Whoops, we mean your dog, of course. Your admission includes 4 pours—5 if you bike!—light snacks, and a costume contest for your pooch. Come out and support our county’s local Open Admission Shelter.
Also on Saturday
- Nahko and Medicine For The People @ The Catalyst
- Taking Back Sunday @ Rio Theatre
- An Evening with Concertmaster Nigel Armstrong @ Cabrillo Samper Recital Hall
- Claudio Melega in the Rockroom Lounge @ Shadowbrook Restaurant
- Beggar Kings A Rolling Stones Virtual Concert plus The Musicscool Allstars @ Don Quixote’s
- The Black Birds @ Crow’s Nest
- Esoteric Collective plays Jazz @ Davenport Roadhouse Restaurant & Inn
- THE ITALS, Cruzah, Blazeen & DJ Spleece @ Moe’s Alley
- The Carolyn Sills Combo, Hank & Ella @ The Crepe Place
- Kishi Bashi @ The Catalyst
- Kaye Bohler Band @ Severino’s
- Live Performance: Gabriel Gordon @ lille aeske Art House & Boutique
- Strawberry Girls, JPNSGRLS, Pyromids @ The Blue Lagoon
- Earthquakes and the Adobe Open House @ Castro Adobe State Historic Park
- Hike to Ocean View Summit @ Big Basin Redwoods State Park
- Redwood Loop Walk @ Big Basin Redwoods State Park
- Guided Redwood Grove Walk @ Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park
- Wilder Ranch Coast Nature Walk @ Wilder Ranch State Park
- Discover Big Basin Redwoods Hike! @ Big Basin Redwoods State Park
- Aptos Farmers Markets @ Cabrillo College
- Scotts Valley Farmers Market @ Scotts Valley Community Center
- Westside Farmers Market @ Delaware Ave. and Natural Bridges Drive
- Santa Cruz CORE Fitness + Rehab Semi-Private Training Core @ Santa Cruz CORE Fitness + Rehab
- MEDITATING WITH THE REDWOODS – A Daylong Retreat in Nature @ Directions sent upon registration.
- Fundraiser: Libraries, Foster Children & Quilts @ Fireside Room, Scotts Valley Library
- Fall Book Sale @ Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium
- Animal Shelter Relief Rescue Adoption Fair @ PetSmart
- Santa Cruz LGBTQ Youth Meet-up @ Diversity Center
- Trans Girls Group (12-18) @ Diversity Center
- Organic Tribe Festival @ Lincoln Street to Pacific Avenue to Cedar Street
- Founders Celebration Dinner @ Science and Engineering Library
- bash: latterday plays @ Broadway Playhouse
- Simple Life Instructions: DADA at Radius @ Radius Gallery
- Beer and Paint Night @ Second Street Cafe in Watsonville
- A Halloween Party @ The Lodge on top of the Hill
- Halloween Bash with Antsy McClain and the Troubs @ Kuumbwa Jazz Center
- The International Circus @ Skypark in Scotts Valley
Keep up with us all weekend long, and see which events we’re attending, by following Santa Cruz Life on Instagram.Sunday
Floating Pumpkin Patch
When: 10/23 from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm
Where: Simpkins Family Swim Center
Cost: Event admission: $7.00 adults/$5.00 children & seniors. Swim for a pumpkin – $4.00/pumpkin. Free parking!
Simpkins Valley Swim Center puts a creative twist on the traditional pumpkin patch by putting their pumpkins in the pool! Don your swimsuit and take to the water to peruse the floating pumpkin patch. The waterslide will be open and there will be games, pumpkin decorating, music, prizes and popcorn. Costumes are encouraged.
Wallace Baine, Light in the Midst of Darkness
When: 10/23 at 7:00 pm
Where: Bookshop Santa Cruz
Cost: Free
At some point, most of us have probably enjoyed hearing an author speak at our much-loved Bookshop Santa Cruz. Tonight is a special night as the focus happens to be on the bookshop itself and love story behind it. Come listen to Santa Cruz Sentinel Arts Editor and Columnist, Wallace Baine, tell the story of the book stores owners who met, fell in love and transformed the store into a vibrant hub within our community before passing it on to their daughter.
Spooky or Not Spooky?
When: 10/23 from 11:30 am to 12:30 pm
Where: Big Basin Redwoods State Park
Cost: Free Admission, Parking is $10 and supports the park
This easy, 1-hour kid-friendly, Halloween-inspired walk has participants explore the forest and ponder is something spooky or not. You’ll check out cobwebs, holes, burls and other natural phenomena along the way and depending on the way you look at it, your answer may change.
Also on Sunday
- Rich & The Rhythm Roustabouts at Swing Set Lounge @ Pacific Arts Complex
- Television @ Rio Theatre
- Picasso Ensemble Performs at the Sesnon House @ Sesnon House at Cabrillo College
- Lynette Skynyrd @ Don Quixote’s
- Le Jazz Hot (the Quartet of the Hot Club of San Francisco) plus Rachael
& The Hot French Strings @ Don Quixote’s - Live Comedy @ Crow’s Nest
- The Box @ The Blue Lagoon
- Simple Life Instructions: DADA at Radius @ Radius Gallery
- Nahko and Medicine For The People @ The Catalyst
- Kim Simmonds & Savoy Brown @ Moe’s Alley
- Sonikete Blues: Roots Flamenco meets Delta Blues and Jazz @ Kuumbwa Jazz Center
- Open Bluegrass Jam @ The Crepe Place
- Ra Ra Riot @ The Catalyst
- Redwood Loop Walk @ Big Basin Redwoods State Park
- Outlook from Mt. McAbee @ Big Basin Redwoods State Park
- Satellite Reef Crochet Workshop with Margaret Wertheim @ Seymour Marine Discovery Center
- Sunday Seaside Crafts @ Seymour Marine Discovery Center
- Surfers Path Hang 10/Hang 5 Run/Walk @ City of Capitola
- Migration Birding @ Quail Hollow Ranch
- Santa Cruz CORE Fitness + Rehab Semi-Private Training Recovery @ Santa Cruz CORE Fitness + Rehab
- Corralitos Farm and Garden Market @ Corralitos Cultural Center
- Trans Men Peer Support Group @ Diversity Center
- Drive for Schools @ Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
- NATIONAL THEATRE LIVE: THE THREEPENNY OPERA @ the Del Mar @ Del Mar Theater
- Thriller Dance Class & Dress Rehearsal @ Louden Nelson Community Center
- 50th anniversary of the Great Pumpkin Patch @ 2831 Daubenbiss in Soquel Village 1:00 PM (sorry no link)
- Pump Track & Pumpkins Community Festival @ Chanticleer Park Neighbors/Vecinos
- The International Circus @ Skypark in Scotts Valley
Featured Upcoming Event
What: 8th Annual Santa Cruz Sea Glass & Ocean Art Festival
Where: Cocoanut Grove Ballroom
When: November 5 & 6, 2016
Cost: $5, Kids 6 and under Free
Calling all sea glass lovers and early holiday shoppers! This weekend-long festival features over 40 unique artists showcasing beautiful jewelry and crafts. Enjoy the new Collectors Corner and Ocean Conservation Exhibits, along with food, drink (full bar), and raffle prizes.
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