Zen Meditation. Open to all. Free of charge.
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
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Featured Event
The Kick Off - Sonivore Listening Lounge
THE KICK OFF is a one-night fundraiser for the Sonivore Listening Lounge at 701 Front Street. DJs, live performances, visual art by Made Fresh Crew, and a first taste of Sonivore โ just days before our Kickstarter closes. Donation-based entry. To RSVP in advance, pledge at least the minimum tier on Kickstarter, or Venmo a donation to @sonivoremusic with โFundraiserโ in the note. You can also donate at the door. Come through and help us bring the lounge to life.
Afrobeats Nite at the IAS
Join us for a night of dancing, joy, and community organized by Afrobeats Nite Santa Cruz featuring DJ Mai Girl and DJ Monk Earl. In addition to music, there will be vendors, food trucks, and late night showings of the exhibitions Victor โMarka27โ Quiรฑonez: Ni de Aquรญ, Ni de Allรก and Carlos Motta: When Time Stands Still . This event is FREE and open to the public. Afrobeats Nite at the IAS is a collaboration with Visualizing Abolition , an arts-based initiative that reaches across prison borders to contribute to the unfolding collective story and alternative imagining underway to create a future free of prisons. Jase โMonkโ Earl is a Santa Cruzโbased DJ, curator, cultural producer, educator, and writer whose understanding of community is rooted in Hip Hop culture and shaped by his upbringing in the immigrant-rich neighborhood of Crown Heights, Brooklyn. As the founder of Afroscope Promotions and founder, curator, and resident DJ of Afrobeats Nite Santa Cruz, he creates public spaces where African and diasporic music become catalysts for connection, cultural exchange, and collective celebration. DJ Mai Girl plays festivals, clubs, shows, and private events all over the West Coast and beyond. Her unique blend of genres and hand-picked selectionsโ whether it be hip hop, soul, house, jazzy vibes, old school jams, Afro, Caribbean or Latin rhythmsโ keep people moving all night. She consistently plays one Stevie or Prince song every set to remind herself of why she started DJing in the first place.
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Featured
Banff Centre Mountain Film Festival World Tour Adventure Night
Rio Theatre & Sante Adairius Midtown Portal team up to support Santa Cruz Mountains Trail Stewardship Join us for the Banff Centre Mountain Film Festival World Tour Adventure Night October 10th at 7 pm, Rio Theatre Banff Centre Mountain Film and Book Festival is one of the largest and most prestigious mountain festivals in the world! Join us when we screen this all new Adventure line up of films featuring BEST DAY EVER, the Audience Choice Award Winner and Best Film: Mountain Sports along with five other audience favorites. This yearโs films are bound to showcase an exhilarating and provocative exploration of the mountain world. The Rio Theatre has been hosting the annual adventure night since 2013. Guaranteed to sell out! Visit https://www.riotheatre.com/events-2/2026/10/10/banffcentremountain for a complete list of films and tickets.
Coming up
Kishi Bashi:: Rio Theatre Santa Cruz 10/6
(((folkYEAH!))) presents KISHI BASHI Rio Theatre Santa Cruz, CA October 6, 2026 Doors 7pm / Show 8pm All Ages
Coming up
Dual Demons - CLASS
A recurring dance class in Santa Cruz. Check with the venue for specific style and level.
โ๏ธ Happening today
Tuesday, October 655 events on today. No plans required, just go. See the full day โ
What's happening
Filter by category, date, or area. Everything listed is in person, county-wide.
Showing 30 of 31 upcoming events ยท Music ยท from 2026-10-10 ยท to 2026-10-11
The Land Speaks Community Folk Opera
A 4-act journey to heal our colonialist history through story, community singing and grief practices
The Sovereign Sanctuary: Ancient Healing & Modern Science
New Moon in Libra: with an immersive landscape of sound, Peggy will guide you into a healing state of powerful intentions for the season.
Artist Talks: Jean Carla Rodea, Dorothy R. Santos, and Abram Stern
Join us for a series of daytime talks with SPAM artists Jean Carla Rodea, Dorothy R. Santos, and Abram Stern. Program Jean Carla Rodea - The Archive is a Body. Rather than presenting a chronological review of my practice, this session investigates how memory is recorded, distorted, embodied, and reconstructed. Dorothy R. Santos - untitled talk Abram Stern - untitled talk About the Artists Jean Carla Rodea Jean Carla Rodea is an interdisciplinary artist with a research-based practice, originally from Mexico City and currently based between San Francisco, CA, and Brooklyn, NY. Their work spans music, sound, vocality, performance, poetry, photography, video, and sculpture, moving fluidly between solo projects and collaborative, cross-disciplinary environments. They draw from shifting identities, immigration, ritual, performance, ecology, construction work, and improvisation, engaging deeply with time-based media and the diverse spaces where these interactions take place. A central focus of their practice is the exploration of critical socio-political issues, including the politics of the body, gender, memory, and imbalanced human relationships. They are particularly invested in how time is constructed through memory, and how those memories-whether embodied or embedded within spaces-are recorded, fragmented, and continually reconstructed. This investigation opens pathways for fiction and speculative dimensions to disrupt and challenge dominant narratives. Archival research is a recurring methodology in their work, encompassing both institutional and personal archives. From these materials, they craft speculative histories, responding to documents, physical traces, and spaces. In their engagement with the archive, they embody multiple performative roles: witness, observer, participant, and researcher, each inhabiting the temporary sites where events unfold. Dorothy R. Santos, Ph. D. Dorothy R. Santos, Ph. D. (she/they) is a Filipino-American writer, artist, and media sch
3:00-5:00pm High energy covers of favorites from all genres and eras
A Show!
Etiquette, Poppyfield, Adam and the Sandlers Show! Alex Backlining
Head to the Quarry Amphitheater to see the pioneers of Sludge Metal, Acid Bath! This historic reunion balances crushing guitar with haunting vocals. This gothic thriller set to music is stacked with Melvins, High on Fire, and Windhand. The Quarry Amphitheater was carved from a former limestone quarry in the 1960โs. The unique terraced asymmetrical design allows for amazing sightlines as you sludge nod with towering redwoods all around you. You wonโt want to miss seeing Acid Bath at this venue! Locals Love : The unique venue. First Timers Miss : Bringing a blanket or towel to keep comfortable in a redwood micro-climate. Insights : The Quarry Amphitheater is inside UCSC, so parking fees and lot usage are unpredictable. There are public e-bike stations on campus and throughout Santa Cruz and Capitola. Watch to see if a rally bus is available for the event.
Harvest Honky Tonk Majesty!
A Queer Line Dance Party & Variety Show
A live music performance by WoodMill at Brookdale Lodge in a Friday night setting.
Indian Classical Music: Nishat Khan, sitar, and Nitin Mitta, tabla
Sitar maestro Nishat Khan returns to UC Santa Cruz with tabla maestro Nitin Mitta in an Indian classical music concert. Regarded as one of the most influential musicians of his generation for his unique and inspiring work, Khanโs masterful collaborations truly connect music globally. With the strike of a single, unmistakable note, the sound of Khanโs sitar instantly captivates and transforms oneโs mood. Listeners are transported to another realm by a sight and sound unlike any other. As a torchbearer of the most recorded musical family in the world, the Imdad Khani Gharana, seven generations of wisdom reside in his fingertips. While grounded in centuries of tradition, Khan forges his own signature sound with a refreshing twist: familiar yet challenging, unfolding with emotional contrasts and surprises at every turn. Touring and performing throughout the world since age 13, Nishat Khanโs unique cosmopolitan perspective has inspired a great sensitivity and connection to the cultures of music of the world. He gave his first public concert at age 7, and was the youngest performer on an All India Radio national programme at age 15. In more recent years, Khan created history in summer 2025 by composing and creating the first ever traditional (Western) opera from the Indian subcontinent, the Taj Mahal Opera . The opera had its premiere at the Grange Park Opera in the UK to sold-out performances and wide critical acclaim. His recent performances in 2026 include a sold-out concert at the Freight in Berkeley, California. The press calls Khan: โProfound and electrifyingโฆpure exhilaration, taking tradition as a blueprint for ecstasyโ ( The New York Times ); โEtherial, compelling, sensual, Nishat Khan master of the sitarโ ( Los Angeles Times ); โFreewheeling virtuosity inflected with infinite imaginative varietyโ (BBC Proms, The Guardian ); and โFerociously giftedโฆno conceivable limitationsโฆhis sitar roars, cries, and exultsโ ( Times of India ). Nitin Mitta is regarded as one of
Bongo Sidibe is a Traditional Drummer and Vocalist from Conakry Guinea, in West Africa. Bongo Sidibe uses his Traditional background as an Artist to create a unique style of music (Traditional, Funk, Reggae Mandingue, Ragga Murfing and Dancehall). He uses his style of music to send a message to the world about Peace and Community Building
Indian Classical Music: Nishat Khan, Sitar, and Nitin Mitta, Tabla
Sitar maestro Nishat Khan returns to UC Santa Cruz with tabla maestro Nitin Mitta in an Indian classical music concert. Regarded as one of the most influential musicians of his generation for his unique and inspiring work, Khanโs masterful collaborations truly connect music globally. With the strike of a single, unmistakable note, the sound of Khanโs sitar instantly captivates and transforms oneโs mood. Listeners are transported to another realm by a sight and sound unlike any other. As a torchbearer of the most recorded musical family in the world, the Imdad Khani Gharana, seven generations of wisdom reside in his fingertips. While grounded in centuries of tradition, Khan forges his own signature sound with a refreshing twist: familiar yet challenging, unfolding with emotional contrasts and surprises at every turn. Touring and performing throughout the world since age 13, Nishat Khanโs unique cosmopolitan perspective has inspired a great sensitivity and connection to the cultures of music of the world. He gave his first public concert at age 7, and was the youngest performer on an All India Radio national programme at age 15. In more recent years, Khan created history in summer 2025 by composing and creating the first ever traditional (Western) opera from the Indian subcontinent, the Taj Mahal Opera. The opera had its premiere at the Grange Park Opera in the UK to sold-out performances and wide critical acclaim. His recent performances in 2026 include a sold-out concert at the Freight in Berkeley, California. The press calls Kahn: โProfound and electrifyingโฆpure exhilaration, taking tradition as a blueprint for ecstasyโ (New York Times); โEtherial, compelling, sensual, Nishat Khan master of the sitarโ (Los Angeles Times); โFreewheeling virtuosity inflected with infinite imaginative varietyโ (BBC Proms, The Guardian); and โFerociously giftedโฆno conceivable limitationsโฆhis sitar roars, cries, and exultsโ (Times of India). CHECK EVENTBRITE.COM FOR UPDATED TICKET INFOR
Saturday, 7:00 PM - Performing with "WOODMILL"
7:30pm - 9:30pm ยท Hard rock and grunge band from Martinez, bringing a heavy mix of familiar covers and original music. Their sound pulls from the raw energy of 90s grunge and hard rock, with loud guitars, driving rhythms, and plenty of attitude. Expect songs you know alongside their own material, all delivered with the same gritty, high energy sound.
Cruz Patrol plays 90s-to-current rock, pop, and dance party music in a casual setting.
Damien Jurardo at Felton Music Hall on Saturday, October 10th 2026 Tickets: https://tixr.com/e/191035
Purchase tickets here Show 8pm // 21+ ***This is a standing room general admissions show. There will be a limited number of chairs located in the back of the concert hall. Seating will be first come first served. Bar and food will be open at 5pm.
SPAM New Media Festival Night 2: Sunken Cages + Rohan Chander & Scott Li + Ava Koohbor
SPAM New Media Festival continues with performances by electronic percussionist Sunken Cages, collaborative duo Rohan Chander & Scott Li, and artist / instrument builder Ava Koohbor. About the Artists Sunken Cages is the project of Indian-born drummer/electronic music producer Ravish Momin. He has studied with US Jazz master-drummer Andrew Cyrille and has worked as a sideman with a wide array of musicians including US Jazz legend Kalaparush Maurice McIntyre (AACM/Chicago) and pop-star Shakira. In the past, he led Tarana, a shapeshifting global-Jazz group, on international and domestic stages for 14 years. His current collaborative projects include 'Turning Jewels Into Water' (with Haitian electronic music pioneer Val Jeanty), a duo with dragonchild (Ethio-American saxophonist DA Mekonnen) and a trio with dancer Ishita Mili and video-artist Art Jones. He has recently produced tracks with South African Gqom group Phelimuncasi (Nyege Nyege Records), Saxophonist Maria Valencia (Meridian Brothers), producers Makossiri (Hakuna Kulala, Kenya), Saskia (QTV, Brazil), Kush Arora (Discrepant, US), Baba Sy (Jokkoo Collective, Spain/Senegal) and Rani Jambak (Indonesia, Yes No Wave.) Rohan Chander is a media artist, electronic musician, and performance artist with an interest in recombinatory approaches to sound and aesthetic. Rooted in political and personal inquiry, he often draws from sample-based artforms, performance art, speculative fiction, and historical research. His work has been described as "hypersensory" (Washington Post), "remarkably alive" (The Wire Magazine), and of "transcendent metamorphosis" (I Care If You Listen). Under his solo DIY project BAKUDI SCREAM, I won the Gaudeamus Prize for Music Composition in 2022. Scott Li is a NYC-based violinist, composer, producer, improviser, filmmaker, and electroacoustic sound artist blending the Romantic classical chamber music tradition with deeply emotive, boundary-pushing electronic music. Liโs music is first and foremo
Moe's Alley Presents: Coffee Zombie Collective w/ special guests
It's the triumphant return of the outrageously amazing sounds of Coffee Zombie Collective! Dance to your favorite hits that have been completely reimagined and blended together for your enjoyment. Saturday, October 10, 2026 Doors: 8pm // Show: 9pm $15 in advance // $20 day of the show 21+ * No Refunds | All sales are final * Avoid scammers! Only purchase tickets from moesalley.com or ticketweb.com * Tickets requested by email will be delivered 3 days prior to the event * Will Call tickets will be available at the door on the day of the event ==== COFFEE ZOMBIE COLLECTIVE Coffee Zombie Collective formed in 2010 as a loose group of sleep-deprived musicians playing their favorite lesser-heard songs alongside karaoke barn burner hits. The band has continued to evolve, mixing in their own originals alongside twisted acoustic reimaginings of contemporary pop hits such as Lourde's "Royals" and cult classics such as Motรยถrhead's "Ace of Spades." Coffee Zombie Collective takes the songs you love, or love to hate, and weaves them into medlies, or upside-down interpretations that always leaves audiences smiling. The band's high-energy stage performances whip audiences into a sing-along dance frenzy. The repeated on-stage mantra is "If you know the words, sing along. If you don't know the words, sing louder!" If you're at the show, you're part of the collective, and highly encouraged to contribute in the frisky, sweaty, ad-libbed sound explosion that is Coffee Zombie Collective. It's never the same show twice.
Join us for a series of daytime talks with SPAM artists Rohan Chander and Ava Koohbor. Program Ava Koohbor - Four Modes of Sonic Behavior: Oscillation / Vibration / Circulation / Pulsation. What can we learn from the body as a system? I explore oscillation, vibration, circulation, and pulsation as four forms of behavior that can become compositional structures. Through simple mechanisms and their interactions, I look at how complexity and unpredictability can emerge from a system. Rohan Chander - untitled talk About the Artists Rohan Chander is a media artist, electronic musician, and performance artist with an interest in recombinatory approaches to sound and aesthetic. Rooted in political and personal inquiry, he often draws from sample-based artforms, performance art, speculative fiction, and historical research. His work has been described as "hypersensory" (Washington Post), "remarkably alive" (The Wire Magazine), and of "transcendent metamorphosis" (I Care If You Listen). Under his solo DIY project BAKUDI SCREAM, I won the Gaudeamus Prize for Music Composition in 2022. Ava Koohbor works between sculpture and instrument, poetry and circuitry, memory and electronics, Tehran and San Francisco. Her practice explores sound as a field of relations, where listening, making, and material continually reorganize one another. Her work takes shape through instruments, performances, installations, exhibitions, and books. Her latest book, Of Flesh and Frequency: A Poetics of Sound Making, was published by Lithic Press in 2026.
Moes Alley presents AC Myles & Band: Stratocaster Masters! Sunday, October 11, 2026Doors: 1pm / Show: 2pm$15 in advance / $20 day of the show21+* No Refunds | All sales are final* Avoid scammers! Only purchase tickets from moesalley.com or ticketweb.com* Tickets requested by email will be delivered 3 days prior to the event* Will Call tickets will be available at the door on the day of the event====AC MYLESAC Myles is an American blues-rock guitarist, vocalist, and recording artist known for his commanding live shows and road-tested sound. Originally from California, he built his career the traditional wayonstagetouring extensively throughout the U.S. and abroad, earning a reputation as a seasoned live performer.Myles has performed at major festivals and venues across North America and Europe, including Lucerne Blues Festival (Switzerland), Cognac Blues Passions (France), and stages like House of Blues and Davies Symphony Hall. He has also shared the stage with artists such as Buddy Guy, Zac Brown Band, and Elvin Bishop.His albumsReconsider Me (2014), Rush to Red (2015), With These Blues (2017), and Transitory (2021)have received worldwide airplay, showcasing a sound rooted in electric blues, southern rock, and soul, defined by expressive vocals and standout guitar work.
Sunday, Oct. 11th โ 2:00 PM โ SMALL THEATER October Family Matinee โ 40th Anniversary!! LABYRINTH (1986, Columbia/Swank, 101 min.) โThrough dangers untold, and hardships unnumbered, I have fought my way here to the castle beyond the Goblin City,โ says resourceful teenage heroine Sarah (Jennifer Connelly) to the King of the Goblins, Jareth (David Bowie, at his most 1980s-fabulous with massive wigs, tons of eyeliner and MTV-era fashions). Director Jim Hensonโs much-loved fantasy-adventure follows Sarah as she winds her way through the enchanted, MC Escher-like Labyrinth in search of her missing half-brother, encountering an astonishing gallery of Henson puppet creations along the way: the massive Ludo! the wisecracking Worm! Hoggle! whatever those weird red feathery things are in โChilly Downโ!! Produced by George Lucas and written by Monty Python member Terry Jones, and featuring some of Bowieโs best-loved kid-friendly songs including โUndergroundโ and โMagic Dance.โ **Children under the age of 10 admitted free.** $10 in advance, $15 at the door. Doors open at 1:30 PM, film at 2 PM at The 418 Project, 155 South River Street, downtown Santa Cruz at the Dragons Gate. Safety protocols will be in compliance with local guidelines at the time of showing.
Community Music School of Santa Cruz hosts their annual fundraiser at Steel Bonnetโs shady dog-friendly beer garden in Scotts Valley on Sunday, October 11th, from 2-5pm. The first two hours will be a concert of live music from throughout the Celtic world. The last hour will be a traditional Irish session, where audience members can bring their instruments and join the performers. An assortment of beer and non-alcoholic beverages will be available for purchase, as well as snacks. A huge โpick-your-prizeโ raffle also awaits! All proceeds will go towards funding Community Music School's youth programming. Details and tickets at CommunityMusicSchool.org, or call 831-471-5184.
Kailua Moon At The Pono Hawaiian Grill, Santa Cruz
Kailua Moon, the next generation of Slack Key guitar artistry with beautiful classic Island Style vocals and a fresh contemporary feel.
3:00-5:00pm The Owls are Bob O'Neill-songwriter & founding member of Snail-on vocals & guitar, Craig Owens-bass player and vocalist extraordinaire and Harpin Jonny- virtuoso harmonica player & vocalist in the Larry Hosford band and many others. This unique trio has come together to create a brilliant balance of blues, R&B, and original tunes. The Owls will take you on a fascinating musical flight!
Sing your heart out! We will start at 5pm....ends when the cops show up or when I throw in the towel....No way you can be too late to get into the rotation.....We use Karafun, so the artists who own the songs get paid ROYALTIES via BMI or ASCAP. Venmo & TIP JAR FOR THE KJ. Beer and Wine , Bar Food Menu. Plenty of free parking.
Sam Reider, jazz accordionist? Probably with a bass or hammered dulcimer.
Throughout their storied forty-three-year history, the Yellowjackets have recorded twenty-six albums, received sixteen GRAMMY nominations (winning two), performed countless sold-out tours, and enjoyed worldwide critical acclaim and commercial success. The Yellowjackets formed in the late 1970s as the backup band for guitarist Robben Ford. They recorded their first album together in 1980. Since then, and with the addition of Bob Mintzer, the Yellowjackets have gained and maintained prominence as one of jazzโs most influential and loved groups. Over the years the band has undergone numerous lineup changes. Never failing to rise to the inevitable challenges of adjustment, the Yellowjackets โ featuring Russell Ferrante on piano and synthesizers, Bob Mintzer on woodwinds & electronic wind instrument, Will Kennedy on drums and Dane Alderson on bass โ have maintained an extraordinarily high quality of musicianship that is the rival of many but a surprise to no one who knows and appreciates the band and their music. Yellowjackets Website (Ticket Includes 5% City of Santa Cruz Admission Tax)
7:00 pm - 9:00 pm ยท We are a high energy alternative rock band with a dark edge! We fuse powerful riffs, memorable melodies, and emotionally driven songwriting! Overall we love putting on a show and connecting with the crowd!
Snazzy Productions & Ugly Mug Soquel welcome Schoolcraft and Murray with Jimmy Dillon Saturdayy October 11th, 2025 7:00 PM - The Ugly Mug - Soquel $30 advance / $40 door Tickets at Snazzy Productions or (831)479-9421 Schoolcraft and Murray make acoustic music brimming with groove, harmony and wit. Their groove makes you move, their harmony makes you feel, and their wit makes you think. (If thinking is your thing.) Their original take blends the best of their many heroes: Lyle Lovett, Carole King, Santana, Robbie Fulks, The Allman Brothers, Steely Dan, Babyface, Dawes and Flight of the Conchords. They are the Milk Carton Kids (with whiskey in the milk); The Everly Brothers meet Frank Zappa. On stage, they add their not so secret weapon to the musicโฆ charisma! That's rightโฆ we said itโฆcharisma. Years of experienceโฆ playing, singing, hosting, entertainingโฆ These guys are flat-out fun. Jimmy Dillon is a true luminary in the world of music-a consummate singer-songwriter and a professional whose talent and passion shine through every note he picks. With an illustrious career spanning over five decades, Jimmy has carved a distinctive niche for himself in the industry, captivating audiences worldwide with his soulful vocals, heartfelt lyrics, and exceptional guitar skills. Coffee, Tea, cafe food will be availble ยท doors at 6:30 Grab early dinner at one of our fine neighbors: Tortilla Flats ยท El Chipotle ยท Fuji Sushi ยท Mings Palace ยท Star of Siam ยท Pretty Good Advise ยท Discretion Brewing & Sugo $30 GENERAL ADMISSION +$5 Service Charge Per Ticket TICKETS $10 MORE AT THE DOOR (If Available) + $5 SERVICE CHARGE ALL TICKETS ARE WILL-CALL. ALL TICKET SALES ARE FINAL. QUESTIONS? CALL PATTY AT THE SNAZZY TICKET LINE.
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