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๐Ÿ“ 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.

โ˜… Featured this season

Promotional image for Phamily Time! โ˜… Featured Event
Sat, Aug 8, 2026 ยท 4:00 PM

Phamily Time!

๐Ÿ“ Woodhouse Blending & Brewing ยท Downtown Santa Cruz ยท See listing

Phamily Time, presented by Phreeborn is back with a summer edition you wonโ€™t want to miss. There will be something for everyone, so bring the whole phamily! Get tickets for the whole day celebration here: TICKETS

Music Festivals ๐Ÿ“ Downtown Santa Cruz Details โ†’
Music
โ˜… Featured
Sat, Aug 1, 2026 ยท Westside Locations

Chamber Choir Now Auditioning

Beati Quorum, a new and growing Ensemble, is seeking new local members. Beati Quorum is a small, hybrid professional / volunteer ensemble based in Santa Cruz. We focus on a cappella singing, Renaissance through contemporary works, and collaborations with artists from our local network to international groups. Visit www.beatiquorum.org to set up an audition today.

Music ๐Ÿ“ Westside
Promotional image for WRECKAGE: A Musical Tragicomedy โ˜… Featured
Sat, Aug 1, 2026 ยท London Nelson Community Center

WRECKAGE: A Musical Tragicomedy

The Tony Award-Winning San Francisco Mime Troupe Opens their 67th Season with: WRECKAGE: A Musical Tragicomedy July 3 โ€“ Sept. 7, 2026

Art & Culture
Promotional image for Zen Buddhist Meditation Coming up
Sat, Aug 1, 2026 ยท Santa Cruz Zen Center

Zen Buddhist Meditation

Zen Meditation. Open to all. Free of charge.

Music ๐Ÿ“ Downtown Santa Cruz
Promotional image for Aloha Music & Arts Festival Santa Cruz Coming up
Sat, Aug 1, 2026 ยท Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds

Aloha Music & Arts Festival Santa Cruz

The first annual Aloha Music & Arts Festival Santa Cruz will take place Friday, July 31, and Saturday, Aug. 1, from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. each day at Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds, bringing together local musicians, hula schools, artists, food vendors, and community organizations for a weekend celebrating Hawaiian, Polynesian, and Pacific cultures. Gates open daily at 11 a.m. Admission to the festival is free. Donations are welcome. Parking will be available for $20 per vehicle. No in-and-out privileges will be allowed, and re-entry fees will be enforced. Produced by Victor Ohana Productions LLC, the festival aims to celebrate the Spirit of Aloha while creating a new cultural tradition for the Central Coast community. Organizers say the event was created to strengthen connections among local Polynesian communities, while offering residents and visitors a new summer cultural experience in Santa Cruz County. โ€œThis festival is about bringing people together through music, dance, food, art, and community,โ€ said Marie Victor, founder of Victor Ohana Productions. โ€œSanta Cruz has deep cultural and historical connections to Hawaiสปi through surf culture and the ocean lifestyle. We wanted to create an event that celebrates those shared influences while showcasing the incredible local talent we have here in Northern California.โ€ Rather than featuring a national headliner, the festival will spotlight local bands and performers from throughout Santa Cruz County and the surrounding region. Organizers said the focus of the event is community participation and cultural authenticity. Festival attendees can expect: โ— Food vendors featuring Pacific-inspired cuisine โ— Local arts, crafts, and merchandise vendors โ— Information booths from community nonprofits and organizations โ— Family-friendly cultural activities and entertainment Local Live Music โ— Victor Ohana 3 Generations โ— Ho' Omana โ— Hunawai โ— Kanalu โ— Laule'a Hawaiian Band โ— Ka La'i O Mele โ— George Kahumoku Jr (Grammy Award Winner in

Music ๐Ÿ“ Watsonville

โ˜€๏ธ Happening today

Saturday, August 1

84 events on today. No plans required, just go.

1:00 AM
$500
The Dickens Universe featuring โ€˜Bleak Houseโ€™
๐Ÿ“ Humanities and Social Sciences Facility
Education
7:45 AM
See listing
Strawberry Jam 1K and 5K Fun Run and Walk
๐Ÿ“ Landmark Elementary School
Wellness
8:00 AM
FREE
Scotts Valley Farmers' Market
๐Ÿ“ Joe and Linda Aliberti Boys and Girls Club
Markets
8:00 AM
See listing
Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park - Birdwatching
๐Ÿ“ Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park Campground
Outdoors
8:00 AM
FREE
Cabrillo Farmers Market
๐Ÿ“ Cabrillo College
Markets
8:30 AM
FREE
Zen Buddhist Meditation
๐Ÿ“ Santa Cruz Zen Center
Music
8:39 AM
FREE
Chamber Choir Now Auditioning
๐Ÿ“ Westside Locations
Music
9:00 AM
$59
Dynomite Farm: Private Dahlia U-Cut Experience
๐Ÿ“ Dynomite Farm
Community
9:00 AM
FREE
UC Santa Cruz Farm U-Pick
๐Ÿ“ UC Santa Cruz
Food & Drink

What's happening

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Showing 30 of 56 upcoming events ยท Education ยท from 2026-08-01 ยท to 2026-08-08

Aug
1

The Dickens Universe featuring โ€˜Bleak Houseโ€™

๐Ÿ“ Humanities and Social Sciences Facility
๐Ÿ•’ 1:00 AM โ€“ 12:59 AM ยท $500

The Dickens Universe is a unique cultural event that brings together scholars, teachers, students, and members of the general public for a week of stimulating discussion and festive social activity on the beautiful Santa Cruz campus of the University of Californiaโ€”all focused on one or two Victorian novels, usually (but not always) one by Charles Dickens. In 2026, the Dickens Universe will feature Bleak House by Charles Dickens. Dickensโ€™s ninth novel, published between 1852-1853, shines a light on social injustice and the devastating effects of a corrupt legal system, following the entangled lives of those caught in the never-ending Jarndyce and Jarndyce case. Told in alternating narrative voices, this rich literary experiment plays with a variety of genres from detective fiction and social realism to melodrama and satire. As characters move from city to suburb, from mansions to slums, we discover unexpected connections among classes, plots, and characters. Now in its 46th year of operation, the Dickens Universe combines features of a scholarly conference, a festival, a book club, and a summer camp. Participants include people of all ages and walks of lifeโ€”distinguished scholars, graduate students, undergraduates, retirees, young professionals, high school teachers, and anyone who loves reading and enjoys long Victorian novels. Here are some things that make the Universe such a special experience. The college lifestyle: participants live on campus, eat together in the student dining hall, and have time to meet and come to know each other in different ways. Everyone is reading the same book. We all have this one important thing in common. The activities include formal lectures, small discussion groups, films, daily Victorian teas, performances, and Victorian dancing. The Universe offers a week of total immersion in the world of Victorian fiction with friendly, like-minded colleagues in a beautiful setting. Whether weโ€™re returning to a Dickens novel that everyone know

Education Family ๐Ÿ“ UCSC Details โ†’
Aug
1

Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park - Birdwatching

๐Ÿ“ Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park Campground
๐Ÿ•’ 8:00 AM โ€“ 10:00 AM ยท See listing

We are offering a bird-watching program on August 1st at 8:00 am. Join us to learn all about life histories, behaviors, field markings, etc. On this 1-mile walk, we will make specific observations about characteristics that will certainly help us quack the case for many bird identifications! Let's plan to meet in the campground off of graham hill road. Hope to see you there! Make sure to bring binoculars and weather-appropriate attire. RSVP for this event at this page .

Aug
1

Free Guided Tour of the UCSC Farm

๐Ÿ“ UCSC Farm
๐Ÿ•’ 10:00 AM โ€“ 11:30 AM ยท See listing

Take a free, guided tour of the 30-acre organic UCSC Farm. Visitors can enjoy touring the organically managed greenhouses, hand-worked garden beds, orchards, row crop fields, and childrenโ€™s garden, while learning about the history of the site and the basic concepts of organic farming and gardening. Perched on a meadow near the campus entrance, the farm also offers spectacular views of the Monterey Bay. Heavy rain cancels. Tours will take place from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on the following dates (please RSVP for the tour of your choice): Saturday, July 11 Saturday, August 1 Saturday, September 12 Saturday, October 3

Aug
1

Emerging Concepts in Psychedelic Assisted Therapy

๐Ÿ“ Cabrillo College
๐Ÿ•’ 10:00 AM โ€“ 11:30 AM ยท $38

Join Dr. Michelle Bean, Dr. Leta Jussila, and Cindy Hill-Ford for an introductory exploration of psychedelic-assisted therapy. Learn about ketamine-assisted therapy, preparation and integration practices, safety considerations, clinical applications, and current research shaping this evolving field of healing and mental health.

Art & Culture Education ๐Ÿ“ Soquel Details โ†’
Aug
1

First Saturday Tour at the Arboretum

๐Ÿ“ Arboretum
๐Ÿ•’ 11:00 AM โ€“ 12:00 PM ยท See listing

First Saturday Tours are a wonderful way to introduce yourself to the Arboretum or to deepen your knowledge of the Arboretumโ€™s plant collections. Each tour is a little different depending on the time of year, the interests of the tour guide, and the people who join in. For example, you might learn about the birds and mammals that make this land their home or about the amazing physical adaptations that plants have evolved to better deal with our extreme weather and climate conditions. Tours are free with paid admission.

Education Outdoors ๐Ÿ“ UCSC Details โ†’
Aug
1

UCSC Arboretum: First Saturday Tours

๐Ÿ“ UC Santa Cruz Arboretum
๐Ÿ•’ 11:00 AM โ€“ 12:15 PM ยท $10

First Saturday Tours are a wonderful way to introduce yourself to the Arboretum or to deepen your understanding of the Arboretumโ€™s plant collections. Each tour is a little different depending on the time of year, the interests of the tour guide and the people who join in. You might learn more about the birds and mammals that make this land their home or about the amazing physical adaptations that plants have evolved to better deal with extreme weather and climate conditions.

Outdoors Education ๐Ÿ“ UCSC Details โ†’
Aug
1

Spring Exhibitions at the Institute of the Arts and Sciences

๐Ÿ“ Institute of the Arts and Sciences
๐Ÿ•’ 12:00 PM โ€“ 5:00 PM ยท See listing

Visit the IAS, UCSCโ€™s premier art galleries, for our spring exhibitions. On view April 10โ€“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 โ€“ 5 pm. Admission is free to the public. Libia Posada: Everything is Going Right Libia Posadaโ€™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

Education Art & Culture ๐Ÿ“ Westside Details โ†’
Aug
1

Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park - Redwood Loop Tour

๐Ÿ“ Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park
๐Ÿ•’ 12:00 PM โ€“ 2:00 PM ยท See listing

Coast Redwoods offer a 100% satisfaction guaran-treed! Every Saturday at 12:00pm, we are taking folks on a guided walk through the Redwood Grove to talk about coast redwoods and to experience the forest together. On this 1-mile stroll, we will be chatting about life histories, ecology, etc. and sharing a wonderful adventure among these giants. Click here to RSVP. Let's plan to meet in the front of the Visitor Center, we hope you can join us!

Aug
1

Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park - Star Walk Tour

๐Ÿ“ Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park Campground
๐Ÿ•’ 8:30 PM โ€“ 9:30 PM ยท See listing

Star Walks - Astronomy-based program where participants are guided up to the observation deck, where they will participate in activities and learn about the night sky. This involves a 1 mile round trip hike. Meet in the campfire center of the Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park campground. RSVP for this hike here .

Aug
2

Wildlife Cameras and Other Methods for Assessing Backyard Biodiversity

๐Ÿ“ Hay Barn
๐Ÿ•’ 9:00 AM โ€“ 12:00 PM ยท $20

Home gardens, small farms, and wildland-agricultural interfaces can often be areas of increased water, food, and habitat resources for wildlife. Many people are interested in seeing wildlife on their properties, from the common visitors to the elusive wanderers. Come learn about how to monitor for wildlife in your own backyard, as well as the ecology, habitat requirements, and challenges species face across dynamic landscapes. Answer the question: What does biodiversity mean to you? REGISTER Free for UCSC students; please email [email protected] to register as a student.

Education Outdoors ๐Ÿ“ UCSC Details โ†’
Aug
2

Spring Exhibitions at the Institute of the Arts and Sciences

๐Ÿ“ Institute of the Arts and Sciences
๐Ÿ•’ 12:00 PM โ€“ 5:00 PM ยท See listing

Visit the IAS, UCSCโ€™s premier art galleries, for our spring exhibitions. On view April 10โ€“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 โ€“ 5 pm. Admission is free to the public. Libia Posada: Everything is Going Right Libia Posadaโ€™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

Education Art & Culture ๐Ÿ“ Westside Details โ†’
Aug
2

Santa Cruz Cyber Security Club

๐Ÿ“ Capitola
๐Ÿ•’ 3:00 PM โ€“ 5:00 PM ยท See listing

Join a diverse group of cyber security enthusiasts every 3rd Friday of the month from 1-3PM or on the 1st Sunday of the month from 3-5PM. Join a group of folks who have a passion for cyber security. Group members have a broad range of interests and skill within the field and invite other people interested in cybersecurity to this public space where we can hangout, share new ideas, projects, and socialize. https://santacruzpl.libnet.info/events?term=cyber+security&r=range&start=2026-06-02&end=2026-09-30

Community Education ๐Ÿ“ Capitola Details โ†’
Aug
3

Latte's and Learn

๐Ÿ“ California Coffee
๐Ÿ•’ 12:00 PM โ€“ 1:00 PM ยท 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!

Aug
3

Le, A. (STAT) โ€“ Bayesian Nonparametric Analysis of Densities for Replicated Point Patterns

๐Ÿ“ UC Santa Cruz
๐Ÿ•’ 4:00 PM โ€“ 5:00 PM ยท See listing

Many scientific applications produce repeated point pattern realizations across subjects, regions, or time. While such point patterns exhibit individual variation, we assume they arise from related point processes that share a common distributional structure. This dissertation develops a Bayesian nonparametric modeling framework built around an interpretable baseline. We work with Poisson processes, such that the point process stochastic mechanism is characterized by the total intensity and a density with compact support. Flexible, parsimonious weighted combinations of beta densities represent both the baseline and the replicate-specific densities. The weights corresponding to each replicate encode the features that characterize its density and are pooled hierarchically across replicates to estimate the shared baseline. Throughout, we illustrate the framework using bike-share demand at a Chicago Divvy station, where weekly demand shares a common daily pattern while its features evolve across weeks. We lay the foundation with a conditionally independent model, relating the replicates through a Dirichlet process prior centered on the shared baseline. The model admits a Pรณlya urn representation that yields fully conjugate posterior updates and partially parallel computation across replicates. Inference proceeds at both the shared and replicate-specific levels, and predictive inference on the density of demand for a new week follows readily through the baseline. Moving to a dynamic extension, we use the representation of the replicate-specific discrete random distributions to express structured dependence separately through the atoms and the weights. Stochastic processes on these components relate the locations of density features and their relative importance. The weights follow a geometric construction that keeps the model parsimonious. For the atoms, we develop a novel stochastic process with the baseline as its marginal distribution, so its interpretation is unchang

Aug
4

Understanding & Using Your Syllabus

๐Ÿ“ UC Santa Cruz
๐Ÿ•’ 2:00 PM โ€“ 2:45 PM ยท See listing

In this workshop, you will: break down, understand, and use your syllabus as a tool for success. The Successful Slug Workshop series, hosted by Learning Support Services Peer Coaches, are open to all UCSC undergraduate students and focus on academic skills and tools to support your success as a student. At each workshop, you will be introduced to a topic, engage in active learning, be given resources to begin implementing the same day, and have an opportunity to learn more if you are interested. You Belong Here: The programs and services described here are open to all, consistent with state and federal law, as well as the University of Californiaโ€™s nondiscrimination policies. Every initiativeโ€”whether a student service, faculty program, or community eventโ€”is designed to be accessible, inclusive, and respectful of all identities. To learn more, please visit UC Nondiscrimination Statement or Nondiscrimination Policy for UC Publications .

Education Community ๐Ÿ“ UCSC Details โ†’
Aug
5

Latte's and Learn

๐Ÿ“ California Coffee
๐Ÿ•’ 12:00 PM โ€“ 1:00 PM ยท 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!

Aug
5

Spring Exhibitions at the Institute of the Arts and Sciences

๐Ÿ“ Institute of the Arts and Sciences
๐Ÿ•’ 12:00 PM โ€“ 5:00 PM ยท See listing

Visit the IAS, UCSCโ€™s premier art galleries, for our spring exhibitions. On view April 10โ€“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 โ€“ 5 pm. Admission is free to the public. Libia Posada: Everything is Going Right Libia Posadaโ€™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

Education Art & Culture ๐Ÿ“ Westside Details โ†’
Aug
5

Make & Explore @ Garfield Park

๐Ÿ“ Garfield Park Branch Library
๐Ÿ•’ 3:00 PM โ€“ 4:30 PM ยท See listing

Every week we will have a new project idea for you to build or explore. Projects will include Science, Arts & Crafts, including model building, and exploration of the environment around us. Children will need an adult present to help them. Expect to get messy!

26 more events further out

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