Aug
12
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.
📍 Santa Cruz County, CA
From the waves to the redwoods, it's all happening here.
Live music, festivals, art walks, surf contests, trail days and everything in between.
In-person only, on purpose. Everything here is something you can actually show up to. No screens, no streams.
★ Featured this season
★ Featured
Wed, Aug 19, 2026 · Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History
Naturalist Night: Plankton 101
Did you know that every other breath we take comes from phytoplankton? Dive into the hidden world of plankton and discover the tiny organisms that form the foundation of Monterey Bay’s rich marine ecosystem. Join marine scientist and educator Jane Silberstein for an engaging introduction to phytoplankton, zooplankton, and the remarkable roles they play in supporting ocean life. After the talk, you’ll have the opportunity to observe live plankton under a microscope and get an up-close look at these incredible microscopic organisms. Whether you’re a curious beachgoer, an aspiring naturalist, or simply fascinated by the ocean, this lecture will leave you with a new appreciation for the life drifting just beneath the surface. These amazing organisms form the base of the marine food web, produce much of the oxygen we breathe, influence the color of the ocean, and support countless species throughout Monterey Bay and beyond. REGISTER HERE Location: Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History Ticket Price: $12 Discounts: $5 member discount About the Speaker : Jane Silberstein brings more than 40 years of experience studying and teaching about the marine life of Monterey Bay. She earned her undergraduate degree in science with an emphasis in marine science from UC Santa Cruz and her graduate degree in Invertebrate Marine Ecology from Moss Landing Marine Laboratories. During her 33 years at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, Jane worked on all three plankton guide stations, sharing the fascinating world of plankton with visitors from around the globe. She has also taught plankton through Cabrillo College’s Pacific Plankton Program for nearly six years, inspiring students to explore the remarkable microscopic organisms that support life in the ocean. Jane is passionate about making the microscopic world accessible to audiences of all ages and helping others discover the incredible diversity of life drifting just beneath the surface. Accessibility and Logistics : This program will take place
Education
📍 Seabright & Harbor
★ Featured
Wed, Aug 19, 2026 · Bookshop Santa Cruz
Steve Hawk
Bookshop Santa Cruz welcomes Steve Hawk, the longest serving editor of Surfer (1991-1998), who will share his thrilling new novel Nearshore , a mix of literary suspense and coastal noir which follows an unlikely trio on the California coast who investigate a nuclear terrorist act. Hawk will be in conversation with Charles Duhigg at this event.
Family
📍 Downtown Santa Cruz
Coming up
Wed, Aug 12, 2026 · The 418 Project
Motion Pacific: Dance for PD
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.
Music
📍 Downtown Santa Cruz
Coming up
Wed, Aug 12, 2026 · The 418 Project
Motion Pacific- Beginning Hip Hop House
A weekly beginning hip hop house dance class. Participants will learn foundational movements, rhythms, and combinations in a structured, studio setting.
Music
📍 Downtown Santa Cruz
☀️ Happening today
Wednesday, August 1239 events on today. No plans required, just go.
9:00 AM
$59
Dynomite Farm: Private Dahlia U-Cut Experience
📍 Dynomite Farm
Community
9:00 AM
$10
Pilates & Posture in the Pasture
📍 Beyond Liberty
Wellness
10:00 AM
See listing
Mobile Health Clinic
📍 Santa Cruz Public Libraries
Community
10:00 AM
See listing
Baby Dance Jam
📍 The 418 Project
Art & Culture
10:30 AM
See listing
Bilingual Baby Laptime
📍 Watsonville Library
Family
11:00 AM
FREE
Local Specials
📍 La Bahia Hotel & Spa
Food & Drink
11:30 AM
See listing
Cyber-Seniors Digital Literacy Series
📍 Santa Cruz Public Libraries
Community
11:30 AM
See listing
Bilingual Toddler Storytime
📍 Freedom Branch Library
Family
11:30 AM
See listing
Bilingual Toddler Storytime
📍 Watsonville Library
Family
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7 upcoming events · Art & Culture · from 2026-08-12 · to 2026-08-12
Aug
12
Spring Exhibitions at the Institute of the Arts and Sciences
📍 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
Aug
12
Community Poetry Circle With Magdalena Montagne
📍 Santa Cruz Public Libraries
🕒 3:00 PM · See listing
Wednesday, August 12 2026 2:00pm - 4:00pm Join the circle and write a poem in a supportive and creative environment.
Aug
12
A regular tango class in Downtown Santa Cruz, offering a way to learn Latin dance in a social, cultural setting.
Aug
12
MUD SLINGING: BEGINNING WHEEL THROWING (3/4)
📍 Santa Cruz Mountains Art Center
🕒 6:00 PM – 8:30 PM · See listing
0 booked, 6 available Chris Finnie
Aug
12
Motion Pacific: Advanced Contemporary Jazz
📍 Motion Pacific at The 418 Project
🕒 6:30 PM – 8:15 PM · See listing
This is Motion Pacific's Advanced Contemporary Jazz Dance class for adults.
Aug
12
A weekly evening of tango in Santa Cruz, offering a chance to learn, dance, and connect with a new community.
Hosting something rad?
If it's happening in person anywhere in Santa Cruz County, whether it's a show, a market, a paddle-out, or a gallery night, we want it on the calendar. Submissions are free and reviewed by our editors.
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