From the waves to the redwoods, it's all happening here.

Little Rangers programs at Natural Bridges State Beach are happening this summer! This free program is best for 3 to 6-year-old kids and includes hands-on activities, play-acting and sharing. Parents or caregivers are required to stay and encouraged to help facilitate the fun and games. Themes this summer include insects, beach exploring, bird watching and nature art. Parking is $10 and helps Friends support the park. One reservation per family and please write in the names and ages of participating children.

The Game Night Collective provides a curated experience. Every Monday night with a library of 30+ board games, guided game teaching, hosted featured games, and prizes! Whether you arrive alone or with a group, the goal is to make it easy to sit down and start playing. Hosted mic’d board games 5 – 8 Trivia 8 – 10

Weekly kids' classes in traditional hula and Tahitian dance, led by Te Hau Nui School at The 418 Project in Santa Cruz.

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

Event date: August 12, 2026 Event Time: 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM Location: 2021 Freedom Blvd Freedom, CA 95019 Watsonville, CA 95076

Event date: August 12, 2026 Event Time: 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM Location: 2021 Freedom Blvd Freedom, CA 95019 Watsonville, CA 95076

A bilingual storytime for toddlers with stories, songs, and rhymes in English and Spanish, promoting early literacy and language skills.

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!

Event date: August 13, 2026 Event Time: 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM Location: 275 Main Street, Suite #100 Watsonville, CA 95076

Event date: August 14, 2026 Event Time: 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM Location: 275 Main Street, Suite #100 Watsonville, CA 95076

Everyone will have a blast at this end-of-summer celebration – take the whole family, including your dog! Enjoy local craft beer, wine, great food, ice cream, games, music and fun in the pool for adults, children and your dog too! Sign up for your dog’s swim time before the event.

Get ready to splash some color and ink as you create your own summer bouquet masterpiece with Heidi Michelle!

A Special Science Saturday Series We're hatching something new this spring. Guest educators from 4-H Youth Development, University of California are taking over one Saturday a month for a six-session series exploring science through studying the incredible, edible egg. Kids will use microscopes, conduct buoyancy experiments, and yes ...even try walking on eggs. This UC-developed curriculum goes deeper than our usual Science Saturday format, with small group investigations and structured lessons that build on each other week to week. Great for homeschool families who want documented STEM learning, and for any curious kid who likes getting messy with science. Grades K–6. Registration Coming Soon! March 21 | April 18 | May 16 | June 20 | July 18 | August 15 About 4-H Youth Development, University of California 4-H is the nation's largest positive youth development organization, with an international presence reaching nearly 6 million young people. As the youth program of UC Agriculture and Natural Resources, 4-H helps kids build life skills through hands-on projects in science, agriculture, leadership, and more.

Celebrate National Roller Coaster Day by taking a spin on our National Historic Landmark, the Giant Dipper. First 100 riders on the Giant Dipper will receive a Boardwalk Souvenir Cup. Normal ride pricing and restrictions apply.

The Game Night Collective provides a curated experience. Every Monday night with a library of 30+ board games, guided game teaching, hosted featured games, and prizes! Whether you arrive alone or with a group, the goal is to make it easy to sit down and start playing. Hosted mic’d board games 5 – 8 Trivia 8 – 10

Event date: August 18, 2026 Event Time: 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM Location: 275 Main Street, Suite #100 Watsonville, CA 95076 Description: Looking for interactive and engaging activities for your child? Join us for Sensory Play, each month will feature a different theme and new ways to stimulate your growing child's senses. Activities may include: water play, kinetic sand, touch-and-see tables, slime, finger painting, instrument exploration, aromatic experiences, and new tastes. Audience: Children aged 1-5 and their caregivers.

Weekly kids' classes in traditional hula and Tahitian dance, led by Te Hau Nui School at The 418 Project in Santa Cruz.

✨ Free Sewing Classes ✨ Ready to unleash your creativity and learn a new skill? Whether you're a total beginner or an experienced sewer, our free sewing classes are for you. Join us for a fun, hands-on experience where you can: Learn sewing basics - no experience required. Build your skills - Pick the project that matches your skill level. Meet new friends - all ages and backgrounds encouraged. Bring your own projects - get help with what you want to create. This program will take place on the 2nd and 3rd Tuesday of each month from 4:00-5:30pm at the Freedom Library, Creative Cafe. All ages & skill levels welcome. These classes will be facilitated in English. https://www.watsonville.gov/calendar.aspx?EID=7326

InterAct Open Mic at Satori Arts. FREE community poetry jam featuring Kate O'Neill Are you ready to get your poetry on? Join us on August 18, 2026 at Satori Arts for InterAct , a FREE open mic night, from 7-9 pm, featuring poet Kate O’Neill. Kate O’Neill has been working for social change since Earth Day 1970. She holds degrees in Education (Ed.D. Harvard, ’97) and Creative Writing (MFA, IAIA, ’18) and has served as a community college professor for more than three decades. Her poems have appeared in Poetry Ireland Review , Journal of War, Literature and the Arts, Taos Journal of Poetry, Skylight 47 and in numerous anthologies. Her works include a full-length book: Harp in Hand: Poems of Ireland (3: A Taos Press, 2026) and a chapbook Flap & Dust: Poems of Resistance (Bookleaf, 2026) both forged in belonging, resistance and a sense of spirit. She holds dual United States-Irish citizenship and lives with her wife and family in Northern New Mexico. Come share your spoken word work or poetry with the community, or come out to support our local readers! Sign up to read starting at 6:30 pm. Limited seating. For more information, visit https://www.satoriarts.org/upcoming-events. 1st and 3rd Tuesdays. Free. Satori Arts, 815 Almar, #9, Santa Cruz (warehouse building near the back, follow signs)

A bilingual storytime for toddlers with stories, songs, and rhymes in English and Spanish, promoting early literacy and language skills.

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!

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.

The Boulder Creek Volunteer Fire Department holds its annual Summer BBQ Dinner & Dance on Saturday, August 22. Firefighters serve a tri-tip and chicken dinner in the apparatus bay, and three live bands (Kentucky Mule, Barnstormers, Bootleg Country Band) play out back with dancing until 11 p.m. There’s a bounce house and face painting for kids. Tickets are $30 for dinner and dance, free for kids under 5. Proceeds buy rescue and medical equipment for the all-volunteer department. Tickets and details: bcfd.com

The Game Night Collective provides a curated experience. Every Monday night with a library of 30+ board games, guided game teaching, hosted featured games, and prizes! Whether you arrive alone or with a group, the goal is to make it easy to sit down and start playing. Hosted mic’d board games 5 – 8 Trivia 8 – 10

Weekly kids' classes in traditional hula and Tahitian dance, led by Te Hau Nui School at The 418 Project in Santa Cruz.

A bilingual storytime for toddlers with stories, songs, and rhymes in English and Spanish, promoting early literacy and language skills.

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!

Free & family-friendly! Two talented pianists face off in a musical showdown full of crowd favorites, sing-alongs, and spontaneous comedy. You bring the requests, they bring the show! Bring your beach chairs, grab a treat from Capitola Village, and enjoy a summer afternoon of music, laughter, and community on the coast. Requests encouraged. Dancing inevitable. Fun guaranteed.

Enjoy a reception and benefit dinner on the UCSC Farm followed by dancing in the Hay Barn! This event will feature music, appetizers, tours, and local wine followed by a seasonally-focused, locally-sourced meal featuring produce from the UCSC Farm and local partners. As the sun sets, head down to the Hay Barn for music, dancing, and dessert. The evening’s program: 4:00pm: Reception and farm tours followed by dinner 7:00pm: Dancing in the Hay Barn

A performance by Kid Kameleon & The Lounge Lizards. Suitable for kids.

Chaminade Resort & Spa welcomes you and your furry friends to our dog-friendly property for an afternoon of play, treats and pup-worthy pampering. Enjoy activities like Dog Pools & Lounge Area, Agility Course & Games (with Bed & Biscuits), Pet Portraits (with DOG Photography), Puppy Picasso Painting (with The Painted Cork), Dog Fashion Show Competition (Two Categories: Best Beach Day Outfit & Best Dressed Dog/Human Duo) and more! There will be a dog menu & special treats Cash Bar, Food & Drink Specials at The View Restaurant for the humans! Overnight package available. RSVP through the link in the orange button above.

The Game Night Collective provides a curated experience. Every Monday night with a library of 30+ board games, guided game teaching, hosted featured games, and prizes! Whether you arrive alone or with a group, the goal is to make it easy to sit down and start playing. Hosted mic’d board games 5 – 8 Trivia 8 – 10

Be a Master Builder at our Library Lego® Club! Join us on the first Tuesday of the month from 4:00-5:30pm and get creative with a provided theme or build whatever you want with the library’s collection of bricks. Bring the whole family along to join in on the fun. This program takes place at the Main Library, Children’s Play Space Area. Volvemos a la acción ~ ¡Sea un maestro de obras en nuestro Club de Lego®! Se le invita a participar el primer martes del mes de 4:00-5:30pm, y sea creativo con un tema proporcionado o construya lo que quiera con la colección de legos de la biblioteca. Se invita a toda la familia a participar en la diversión. Este programa se llevará a cabo en nuestra Biblioteca Principal, Sala de Niños.

Weekly kids' classes in traditional hula and Tahitian dance, led by Te Hau Nui School at The 418 Project in Santa Cruz.

InterAct Open Mic at Satori Arts. FREE community poetry jam featuring David Allen Sullivan and Ignatius Valentine Aloysius Are you ready to get your poetry on? Join us on Sept. 1, 2026 at Satori Arts for InterAct , a FREE open mic night, from 7-9 pm, featuring David Allen Sullivan and Ignatius Valentine Aloysius as they read from their latest book, Everything I Touch Is—& Isn’t—You . In Everything I Touch Is—& Isn’t—You , David Allen Sullivan and Ignatius Valentine Aloysius engage in a daring poetic conversation, weaving poems from one another’s lines and inventing new collaborative forms. Written in a time of political fracture, the poems insist on attention, tenderness, and survival. The collection moves through grief, love, politics, and bearing witness, dissolving the boundaries between self and other to reveal a shared, living voice. Former Santa Cruz county poet laureate, David Allen Sullivan won the Mary Ballard Chapbook poetry prize for Take Wing. His book Black Butterflies over Baghdad was selected for the Hilary Tham Capital Collection by Tim Seibles. He teaches at Cabrillo College, where he edits the Porter Gulch Review with his students. Ignatius Valentine Aloysius earned his MFA in Creative Writing from Northwestern University, Chicago, where he teaches. He is the author of the literary novel Fishhead. Republic of Want (Tortoise Books, 2020), & his prose and poetry have appeared in many journals. Ignatius is the current host & curator of the long-running reading series Sunday Salon Chicago. He serves as Co-Chair of the Curatorial Board at Ragdale Foundation, where he is also a Board of Trustees member. Come share your spoken word work or poetry with the community, or come out to support our local readers! Sign up to read starting at 6:30 pm. Limited seating. For more information, visit https://www.satoriarts.org/upcoming-events. 1st and 3rd Tuesdays. Free. Satori Arts, 815 Almar, #9, Santa Cruz (warehouse building near the back, follow signs)

A bilingual storytime for toddlers with stories, songs, and rhymes in English and Spanish, promoting early literacy and language skills.

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!

Have a teen in your life looking for a fun after-school activity? From board games to crafts, our monthly Teen Craft and Chill program will offer a fun, interactive activity each month. This program will take place at the Main Library, Teen Room from 4:00-5:00pm on the first Wednesday of each month. Audience: Teens ¿Conoces a un adolescente que busca una forma divertida de pasar la tarde? Se le invita al programa mensual Teen Craft and Chill. Cada mes tendremos una actividad diferente –desde juegos de mesa hasta manualidades. Este programa se llevará a cabo en la Biblioteca Principal, Sala de Adolescentes, de 4:00-5:00pm, el primer miércoles de cada mes. Audiencia: Adolescentes