Filter by category, date, or area. Everything listed is in person, county-wide.
📍 Santa Cruz Wharf
🕒 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM · FREE
Hey Fishhook Fans, We will be rocking the Free Santa Cruz Wharf Summer Tuesday Night Live at the Wharf Commons stage on Tuesday, August 11th! This outdoor festival is free and open to all ages! If you have never been there, then expect a treat! It's an absolutely beautiful location with panoramic views of Monterey Bay, and the sunsets are not to be missed! Don't miss it! As you may know, we are the band that does not let up on the gas! Hear all your favorite songs "leveled up" the FISHHOOK way! You know we deliver the best Rock and Roll in town. Location: 21 Municipal Wharf, Santa Cruz, CA Let's Party! And bring your friends too. The show starts at 6:00 PM and ends at 8:00 PM.
📍 Peoples Coffee
🕒 6:00 PM – 10:00 PM · FREE
Come to Peoples Coffee, the official Santa Cruz location for the Southmost events for the Golden Gate Gamemakers! Come join us as a branch under GGG known as Game Designers of Santa Cruz! It’s a relaxed chance to try new board games and card games, get feedback on your own prototypes if you are a game designer, and get advice on the games industry. New designers and interested players welcome! Please be courteous to other designers and stay to test their games if you are bringing your prototype to be tested. We run a small raffle thru the sign in sheet each night for participants to win new and used board game prizes. This is also Peoples Coffees first events they have held! They are generously keeping all services of food and drink available through the entire 6pm to 10pm event! They normally close at 5:30. Thank you Peoples Coffee! For all of our events at Peoples, affogatos (ice cream and espresso) are half off! We now have a Game Library located inside Peoples for anyone to use any time they are open! **Cost** This is a completely free event! Attendees are encouraged to buy some delicious drinks and food from Peoples Coffee. **Parking / Travel** You can park in the main parking lot in front of Peoples Coffee. There is a also side parking behind Peoples, and around the residential area. You are also free to park across the street near Salsas Taco Bar. See GGG’s full code of conduct here. Up-to-date details and our many other events can be found at meetup.com/playgoldengate Point of contact and organizer: Courtney Laschkewitsch
📍 m.k. contemporary art gallery
🕒 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM · FREE
“Confluence”: where separate currents meet. This beautiful exhibition pairs the work of Santa Cruz artists Susana Arias and Glenn Carter, on view August 7 through September 13 at M.K. Contemporary Art Gallery. “Confluence” is exhibited alongside of 25+ local and regional artists whose work we adore. Live improvisational jazz music from “The Leftovers” at the opening on the First Friday of August from 6-8PM
📍 Santa Cruz Wharf
🕒 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM · FREE
Welcome back to Tuesday Night Live at the Wharf Common’s stage! Every 2 nd and 4th Tuesdays of the month, head to the Wharf for live music and additional shows from 6 to 8pm. Check out Wharf Business pop ups, or make a dinner reservation before the shows. Be sure to bring a chair or wear your dancing shoes! May 26, 2026: SambaDá June 9, 2026: The Viva Santana Show June 23: 2026: The Unauthorized Rolling Stones July 14: 2026: Sweet VooDoo July 28: The Lost Boys Featuring James Durbin August 11, 2026: Santa Cruda August 25, 2026: The Joint Chiefs September 8, 2026: Extra Large After parties after every show will take place upstairs at Vino by the Sea !
📍 The Grateful Red Barn at Cabrillo Cottage Farms
🕒 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM · $20
Henry Kaiser, Bob Bralove, John Hanrahan, Jennifer Burnes, Nathan Moore
📍 Santa Cruz Mountains Art Center
🕒 6:00 PM – 8:30 PM · See listing
3 booked, 4 available Kathryn Pierno
📍 Santa Cruz Seventh-day Adventist Church
🕒 6:00 PM – 8:30 PM · $2
Do you struggle to find tasty, healthy food while traveling, camping, or backpacking? With good preparation, it doesn't have to be that way!
📍 Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing
🕒 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM · FREE
Hugging Porcupines Productions presents Trivia Night, every Tuesday evening at Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing. Trivia is always free to play. Grab your team and challenge yourself to 6 rounds of fun trivia.
📍 The 418 Project
🕒 6:45 PM – 9:00 PM · See listing
A recurring dance class in Santa Cruz. Check with the venue for specific style and level.
📍 The Audrey Stanley Grove in DeLaveaga Park
🕒 7:00 PM · See listing
Something wicked this way comes, indeed. Starting this weekend and running through August 30th, Santa Cruz Shakespeare presents one of The Bard’s most infamous plays, Macbeth. Coincidentally the play’s first ever performance is believed to have been in 1606 marking this as the 420th anniversary, which is very Santa Cruz. And for anyone familiar with Macbeth, it’s easy to see why it’s lasted throughout the ages. Witches, murder, moral failings and tons of tragedy are beautifully sewn throughout the acts, stitched together with lines such as “Blood will have blood,” and “the wine of life is drawn.” -Mat Weir; Good Times Santa Cruz
📍 Bookshop Santa Cruz
🕒 7:00 PM · See listing
Award-winning novelist Clifford Mae Henderson returns with Lost in Sound: A Mystery, a thrilling whodunit set in the fictional coastal town of Tres Ojos. A mystery unravels in this unlikely sleepy beach town where tech millionaires brush past homeless encampments. When a neurodivergent landlocked pirate, Captain Eddie, is accused of murder, an unlikely and delightfully eccentric crew bands together to help the captain. The case spirals into a high-profile circus when the victim turns out to be the estranged sister of a country music legend. Henderson brings warmth, wit, and a deep social conscience to the page. -Shelly Novo; Good Times Santa Cruz
📍 Santa Cruz Mountains Art Center
🕒 7:00 PM – 9:15 PM · See listing
0 booked, 7 available
📍 Insight Santa Cruz, 740 Front Street (2nd floor of the Galleria building)
🕒 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM · See listing
Rainbow Sangha Sit, on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of the month , 7:00 - 8:30 pm. The Rainbow Sangha group offers a safer space for individuals who identify as queer, non-binary, transgender, lesbian, bisexual, trans*, gay, intersex, questioning, and others who identify outside of cisgender, heterosexual mainstream culture. Please see more information on the Rainbow Sangha page at Insight Santa Cruz . .
📍 Kuumbwa Jazz
🕒 7:00 PM · See listing
Gaw Vang Williams is a vocalist and educator from Sacramento, California. She became the director of the vocal jazz program at Sacramento State University in 2014, where she earned her Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies and Master of Music in Voice Performance. She began teaching in 2004, serving as a music instructor at various high schools and music organizations. In Dynamics & Tone for Vocal Storytelling, Williams will lead participants through the exploration of different vocal tones, and demonstrate how storytelling naturally shapes vocal dynamics. Williams is a sought-after clinician and adjudicator for festivals and workshops throughout the United States. She currently serves as the President of the California Alliance for Jazz and is the vocal jazz traveling clinician for the Monterey Jazz Festival. Can’t make it in-person? You can stream it! Click here to register.
📍 Callahan's
🕒 8:00 PM – 10:00 PM · FREE
Free live music every Tuesday night with the Del Mar Trio at Callahan's in Santa Cruz.
📍 Discretion Brewing
🕒 8:30 PM – 10:00 PM · See listing
Join us for Trivia Tuesdays at Discretion! Every Tuesday 6:30-8:00pm Hosted by Michael Cahalan Pair one of our 16 beers on tap with some lively Trivia, every Tuesday at 6:30pm. No sign-ups required - just come a little early to snag a table in the beer garden. Free to play | Prizes | Up to 6 per team
📍 Dynomite Farm
🕒 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM · $59
Enjoy Dynomite Farm’s show-quality dahlia beds for intimate, unhurried cutting experiences where you and your friends have the field to yourselves. No crowds. No rushing. Just you, your people, and a thousand flowers. Companion passes are available for guests who want to join the fun, explore the farm, and take in the beauty without cutting flowers. Friendly chickens roam the property, there are swings for little ones.
📍 Beyond Liberty
🕒 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM · $10
Horses are deeply attuned to nonverbal cues; our posture, breath, and inner state shape how they respond. When we’re centered, they notice. This gentle, horse aligned class explores the power of posture—and how we show up . Through foundational Pilates-based movement, you’ll deepen postural alignment, improve stability, and cultivate a calm, grounded presence.No experience needed.$10/class Free with membership: https://beyondliberty.org/groupwellnessmembership
📍 Santa Cruz Public Libraries
🕒 10:00 AM · See listing
Wednesday, August 12 2026 9:00am - 3:00pm Dignity Mobile Wellness Clinic and Santa Cruz Public Libraries are partnering to offer services that support the health of patrons with weekly Wednesday visits to the Scotts Valley branch library.
📍 The 418 Project
🕒 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM · See listing
A free weekly dance jam for babies and their caregivers at The 418 Project in Santa Cruz, with movement, music, and play in a joyful environment.
📍 Watsonville Library
🕒 10:30 AM – 11:30 AM · See listing
Event date: August 12, 2026 Event Time: 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM Location: 2021 Freedom Blvd Freedom, CA 95019 Watsonville, CA 95076
📍 La Bahia Hotel & Spa
🕒 11:00 AM – 6:00 PM · FREE
For a more casual local draw, Low Tide features weekly dining specials including The Monday Slice ($20 signature pizzas), Wine Down Wednesdays (½ price bottles under $80), and Sunday Golden Hour offerings (4PM-6PM with $6 draft beer and house wine)
📍 Santa Cruz Public Libraries
🕒 11:30 AM · See listing
Wednesday, August 12 2026 10:30am - 12:00pm A 12 week series on Wednesdays from 10:30AM-12PM that introduces foundational digital literacy concepts and teaches useful digital skills.
📍 Freedom Branch Library
🕒 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM · See listing
A bilingual storytime for toddlers with stories, songs, and rhymes in English and Spanish, promoting early literacy and language skills.
📍 Watsonville Library
🕒 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM · See listing
Event date: August 12, 2026 Event Time: 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM Location: 2021 Freedom Blvd Freedom, CA 95019 Watsonville, CA 95076
📍 Hummingbird Valley
🕒 12:00 PM – 12:45 PM · FREE
Instructors: Alexandra Johnson, MD, Kevin Johnson and Dena Ehrlich We spend much of our time being sedentary, lost in our minds. Yet each movement you make throughout your day is an opportunity to be present. Self-Breema exercises are simple and dynamic, and offer a direct experience of body-mind connection. As you practice in class, you increase your ability to be present during your day. You will leave class nurtured, revitalized, and with newfound positivity! You are also welcome to drop in to this class in person at Hummingbird Valley (free of charge; no registration required). Registration for the online attendance of this class is available via the ticket link. Registering for in-person or online is completely free.
📍 California Coffee
🕒 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM · FREE
Join us Wednesday, May 21st from 12:00 PM- 1:00 PM at California Coffee for an informative and uplifting workshop you won't want tfor suo miss! Our featured guest speaker, Manas S. Kshirsagar, AD, MS a NAMA Board Certified Ayurvedic Doctor with years of experience in holistic wellness and healing, will be presenting "Tools for Stress and Anxiety". With today's fast-paced world and the stress levels many of us are unduring, this workshop will offer valuable insight, practical tools and wellness strategies to help bring more balance, peace and calm into our daily lives. Lunch Special Available: Half Sandwich + Chips just $9.99 California Coffee, 9105 Soquel Dr., Aptos, CA 95003 cacoffeeaptos.com Thank you from myself Sylvia Reyes, and my amazing team for supporting our small business and community events!
📍 UC Santa Cruz
🕒 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM · FREE
Online via Zoom – Register to receive Zoom details Preparing for an upcoming career fair or networking event? Join us for this virtual session on Wednesday, August 12, at 12:00 noon (Pacific Time) , designed to help participants make the most of their next opportunity to connect with employers. Featuring talent acquisition leader and UC Davis alumnus Alexander Reyes, MBA, this session will provide an insider’s perspective on how recruiters evaluate candidates and what helps job seekers stand out at career fairs and recruitment events. Attendees will gain practical strategies for strengthening their resumes, developing an effective elevator pitch, and approaching employer conversations with confidence. Whether attending the upcoming HireUC Alumni Career Summits or another recruitment event, participants will leave with actionable tips to help them prepare, connect, and make a lasting impression. This session is intended for alumni, recent graduates, and job seekers at all career stages . By the end of this session, attendees will be able to: Apply resume best practices to better align their materials with employer expectations. Identify strategies for preparing for career fairs and recruitment events. Develop an elevator pitch that communicates their skills, experiences, and career goals. LEARN MORE & REGISTER This webinar is hosted by UC Davis and is open to all UC alumni
📍 Institute of the Arts and Sciences
🕒 12:00 PM – 5:00 PM · See listing
Visit the IAS, UCSC’s premier art galleries, for our spring exhibitions. On view April 10–August 16, 2026 are three diverse and interdisciplinary shows: Libia Posada: Everything is Going Right , the first US solo exhibition by the Colombia-based artist and medical doctor; Gina Athena Ulysse: A Redwoods Rasanblaj , a site-specific and immersive exploration of the Haitian kreyol conception of rasanblaj; and Ronaldo V. Wilson: There Are No Words, But Melodies , a mixed-media exhibition emerging at the intersections of Black poetics, performance, and visual art. The IAS Galleries are open Wednesday-Sunday, 12 pm – 5 pm. Admission is free to the public. Libia Posada: Everything is Going Right Libia Posada’s first solo exhibition in the United States features installations, sculptures, and drawings meticulously constructed from surgical instruments, gauze bandages, crutches, used books, and domestic picture frames. The new and existing works in the exhibition powerfully stitch together the personal, social, and political disorders and afflictions that currently trouble the world, from the wars that resonate across the globe to the violences of aging in US prisons. Gina Athena Ulysse: A Redwoods Rasanblaj: Origins & Disentanglements The internationally-lauded work of humanities professor Gina Athena Ulysse is on view as a premier Faculty Spotlight Exhibition. The site-specific installation, produced in community from things collected, found, purchased and donated, centers on the Haitian concept of rasanblaj, a form of assembly and collage that transcends the formal use of materials to draw together people, spirits, and ideas. Ronaldo V. Wilson: There Are No Words, But Melodies Collage is both a material practice and a structural interrogation in the Faculty Spotlight Exhibition artworks by literature professor Ronaldo V. Wilson. In video, painting, and installation, layers and folds conceal and reveal, delving into the experience, both bodily and emotive, of living in time
📍 The 418 Project
🕒 1:00 PM – 2:15 PM · FREE
Dance for Parkinson’s at Motion Pacific is a class for people with Parkinson’s Disease and their caretakers. The class is based on the innovative and internationally renowned Dance for PD® program designed by the Mark Morris Dance Group and the Brooklyn Parkinson Group. Trained Dance for Parkinson’s teachers use prompts and multiple dance styles to inspire movement, creative expression, and community. Dancers may sit in a chair, use a barre, or stand. Dance for Parkinson’s at Motion Pacific is open and free to the public. Classes are appropriate for anyone with Parkinson’s, no matter how advanced. Movement modifications will be made available and there is no dance experience required. Dance for Parkinson’s is offered every Wednesday from 1:00pm to 2:15pm, with the exception of the first Wednesday of the month, during which class is not held. Classes are offered in-person, in the Lobby at The 418 Project.
