Skip to content
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 Naturalist Night: Plankton 101 โ˜… Featured
Wed, Aug 19, 2026 ยท 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 Bayโ€™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, youโ€™ll have the opportunity to observe live plankton under a microscope and get an up-close look at these incredible microscopic organisms. Whether youโ€™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 Collegeโ€™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 ๐Ÿ“ Seabright & Harbor
Promotional image for Steve Hawk โ˜… Featured
Wed, Aug 19, 2026 ยท 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 ๐Ÿ“ Downtown Santa Cruz
Promotional image for The Deep Unreal Coming up
Tue, Aug 11, 2026 ยท The Grateful Red Barn at Cabrillo Cottage Farms

The Deep Unreal

Henry Kaiser, Bob Bralove, John Hanrahan, Jennifer Burnes, Nathan Moore

Music ๐Ÿ“ Aptos & Seacliff
Promotional image for Fishhook ROCKS the Santa Cruz Wharf Summer Concert! Let's Party! Coming up
Tue, Aug 11, 2026 ยท Santa Cruz Wharf

Fishhook ROCKS the Santa Cruz Wharf Summer Concert! Let's Party!

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.

Music ๐Ÿ“ Beach & Boardwalk

โ˜€๏ธ Happening today

Tuesday, August 11

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

9:00 AM
$59
Dynomite Farm: Private Dahlia U-Cut Experience
๐Ÿ“ Dynomite Farm
Community
10:00 AM
See listing
Free Health Screening: Diabetes
๐Ÿ“ Watsonville Civic Plaza
Art & Culture
10:00 AM
See listing
Qigong with Tara - Wisdom Workshops @ TDC
๐Ÿ“ 1117 Soquel Ave, Santa Cruz, CA 95062, USA
LGBTQ+
10:00 AM
FREE
Volunteer Information Session - Every 2nd Tuesday of the Month
๐Ÿ“ UCSC Arboretum
Community
10:00 AM
See listing
Free Health Screening
๐Ÿ“ Watsonville
Art & Culture
10:00 AM
See listing
Volunteer at the UCSC Arboretum
๐Ÿ“ Arboretum
Education
10:30 AM
See listing
Toddler Tumble Time
๐Ÿ“ Watsonville Public Library
Education
11:00 AM
See listing
In-person Tech Help @ Scotts Valley
๐Ÿ“ Santa Cruz Public Libraries
Community
11:00 AM
See listing
Backgammon @ the Library
๐Ÿ“ Santa Cruz Public Libraries
Community

What's happening

Filter by category, date, or area. Everything listed is in person, county-wide.

Quick: Today This weekend Next 7 days Area Clear all

7 upcoming events ยท Family ยท from 2026-08-11 ยท to 2026-08-11

Aug
11

Free Health Screening

๐Ÿ“ Watsonville
๐Ÿ•’ 10:00 AM โ€“ 12:00 PM ยท See listing

Visit Watsonville Public Library for a FREE Health Screening, no appointment needed! ~ Community Health Trust of Pajaro Valley invites library patrons to take advantage of this opportunity to check in on their health and learn more about their risk for conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure. Screenings will take place on the second Tuesday of each month from July through December, between 10:00am-12:00pm at the Main Library. Tuesday, July 14: Diabetes Tuesday, August 11: Blood Pressure Tuesday, September 8: Diabetes Tuesday, October 13: Cholesterol Tuesday, November 10: Diabetes Tuesday, December 8: Blood Pressure This project is supported in whole or in part by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act, administered in California by the State Librarian. This program is supported by Rural Health Connections. Audience: All ages ESPAร‘OL ยกVisite la Biblioteca Pรบblica Watsonville para una evaluaciรณn de salud GRATUITA, no necesita cita! ~ Community Health Trust of Pajaro Valley invita a los usuarios a aprovechar esta oportunidad para revisar su estado de salud y aprender mรกs sobre su riesgo de padecer enfermedades como la diabetes y la presiรณn arterial alta. Los exรกmenes de salud se llevarรกn a cabo el segundo martes de cada mes, de julio a diciembre, de 10:00am-12:00pm en la Biblioteca Principal. martes 14 de julio: Diabetes martes 11 de agosto: Presiรณn arterial martes 8 de septiembre: Diabetes martes 13 de octubre: Colesterol martes 10 de noviembre: Diabetes martes 8 de diciembre: Presiรณn arterial Este proyecto cuenta con el apoyo total o parcial del Instituto de Servicios de Museos y Bibliotecas de los Estados Unidos (IMLS) bajo las disposiciones de la Ley de Servicios y Tecnologรญa Bibliotecaria, administrada en California por el Bibliotecario Estatal. Este programa cuenta con el apoyo de Rural Health Connections. Audiencia: Para todas las edades

Art & Culture Family ๐Ÿ“ Watsonville Details โ†’
Aug
11

Toddler Tumble Time

๐Ÿ“ Watsonville Public Library
๐Ÿ•’ 10:30 AM โ€“ 11:30 AM ยท See listing

Come Join Us for Toddler Tumble Time! Weโ€™ll be sharing some of our educational collection items. Bring your little ones to explore and learn about science. Donโ€™t miss out on the fun! ยกAcompรกรฑenos en la Hora de Juegos para Pequeรฑitos! Compartiremos una selecciรณn de artรญculos de nuestra colecciรณn educativa. Venga con sus pequeรฑos a explorar y aprender sobre la ciencia. ยกNo se lo pierda! The event is ADA accessible. Materials will be provided. These programs are funded by the Outdoor Equity Grants Program, created through AB 209 and administered by California State Parks, Office of Grants and Local Services. Estos programas son financiados por el Programa de Subvenciones de Equidad al Aire Libre, creado a travรฉs AB 209 y administrado por la Oficina de Subvenciones y Servicios Locales de Parque Estatales de California.

Aug
11

Board Game Playtesting

๐Ÿ“ Peoples Coffee
๐Ÿ•’ 6:00 PM โ€“ 10:00 PM ยท 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! Itโ€™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 GGGโ€™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

Aug
11

Fishhook ROCKS the Santa Cruz Wharf Summer Concert! Let's Party!

๐Ÿ“ Santa Cruz Wharf
๐Ÿ•’ 6:00 PM โ€“ 8:00 PM ยท 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.

Never miss a beach day, show, or street fair.

Join the Santa Cruz Scene newsletter for local discounts, community highlights, and the best curated events delivered to your inbox each month.

We use your email only to send the newsletter. How we handle your info

No spam, just the Scene. Curious who we are? Read our story.

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.

Submit your event โ†’