Not ready for an evening of romance on Valentine’s? How about a morning walk with someone you are just lichen? Lichens are all around, yet seldom understood. Enjoy an introductory walk where you will look closely at a variety of lichen species and learn to better understand their unique qualities. The walk will be led by Ken Kellman, a member of…

Bring your friends, family and neighbors and come out to enjoy good old-fashioned activities such as spinning wool, cheese making, wooden cow milking and ice cream making! You can even drive a tractor and go on a hayride.  Local Santa Cruz County 4-H clubs will be hosting their Annual Spring Fair.  This action-packed day is admission free, and donations are…

Show your love to your entire family! Bring them to the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds for: Valentine’s themed activates Crafts and Games Kid’s Drive-a-Tractor Puppet Shows Farm Demonstrations And More! Locals Love: The free, hands-on, and nostalgic, family-friendly atmosphere. First Timers Miss: The life size wooden milking cow. Insights: These Agricultural History Project events will occur rain or shine, so…

Join State Parks for the 39th annual Migration Festival on Valentine’s Day, Saturday, Feb. 14. The event will feature more than 30 local organizations offering hands-on booths showcasing the many animals that migrate to and through Monterey Bay. Visitors can see live animals, collect passport stamps at each table, enjoy food for sale, and explore arts and crafts. Festival activities…

Composer Jon Scoville was raised in Connecticut, ruined in New York, and… restored in Santa Cruz County. Over 50 of Jon’s scores have been commissioned by choreographers and dance companies all over the world. He is currently the Music Director of Tandy Beal & Company, and has toured world-wide and accompanied for many dancers. Guest artist, Art Lande will be…

Enjoy this annual celebration of early music as it sounded in its own time! Learn a bit about the joy of Baroque music with a festival that is an expedition through musical time. 2026 Season: January 31 @4pm: Musical Stories of Brass and Organ (532 Center St) February 8 @4pm: Organ Virtuoso Performance (126 High St, Santa Cruz) February 15…

Inter|Act Open Mic at Satori Arts. FREE community poetry jam featuring Shizue SeigelAre you ready to get your poetry on? Join us on February 17, 2026 at Satori Arts for Inter|Act, a FREE open mic night, from 7-9 pm, featuring Shizue Seigel! Shizue Seigel is a San Francisco-based Japanese American born just after her family’s release from World War II…

Bookshop Santa Cruz welcomes award-winning author Claire Oshetsky (Poor Deer) for a discussion and signing of their new book Evil Genius, an exuberant, brutally hilarious novel about a young woman’s insatiable quest to carve her own path—even if she needs to step over a few dead bodies along the way.

Tara Redwood School is hosting its annual open house and if you are looking for a unique school experience for your child, then you want to be sure to mark this date on the calendar! February 19th, Thursday at 3:30pm to 5pm. Tara Redwood is located on a gorgeous campus surrounded by 108 acres of luscious forest and creeks. Students…

We are coming together as a community to steward Tyrrell Park through the City’s Adopt-A-Park program. At the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History, you gain new wisdom about local ecology, native plants, and sustainable gardening while connecting with nature outdoors. It’s time to get your hands dirty! Join us and volunteer in the Museum’s Garden Learning Center and Pilkington…

See more than 500 quilts throughout three buildings at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds! There will be ongoing demonstrations, a vendor mall, Bargain Garden (fabric flea market), and a Wearable Walkabout are among the many events happening during the show. Some quilts are for sale and there is also a live auction on Sunday. Saturday 10-5, Sunday 10-4

For the 35th year, UC Santa Cruz Adventure Rec is thrilled to bring the Banff Centre Mountain Film Festival World Tour to Santa Cruz! Each November, the Banff Festival in Canada showcases the year’s most breathtaking, inspiring adventure films—and we’re bringing the very best of them to the Rio Theatre, February 27, 28, & March 1, 2026. Each night features…

Carnival of the Animals: the Symphony Family Concert Affordably priced for families! Weeks of innovative educational programming wrap up with our Family Concert, featuring Carnegie Hall Link Up’s The Orchestra Swings and showcasing our community arts partners with a multicultural offering of tunes and dances. After intermission, enjoy Santa Cruz Symphony's brilliant performance of Carnival of the Animals, where our…

Inter|Act Open Mic at Satori Arts. FREE community poetry jam featuring Cate LycurgusAre you ready to get your poetry on? Join us on March 3, 2026 at Satori Arts for Inter|Act, a FREE open mic night, from 7-9 pm, featuring Cate Lycurgus!Cate Lycurgus is a writer and educator deeply invested in the ways language can spark discovery, create connection, and…

UCSC Orchestra presented by the Music department.Join the UC Santa Cruz Orchestra, conducted by Bruce Kiesling, for a winter concert, featuring Flagello’s Bravada and selections from Tchaikovsky, including the Overture–Fantasy from Romeo and Juliet and Solemn Overture from The Year 1812.—ADMISSION- General admission seating; arrive early for best seat selection- Free for UCSC students (ticket required)- Tickets are available via…

Parenting an adolescent can feel disorienting! We’ll move beyond "hormones" to make sense of what’s really happening for our teens! The teen brain goes through a major remodeling, and it can be a challenging time and one of opportunity! It’s normal to want to seek tighter control or give up, yet this often causes teens to respond by shutting down,…

UCSC Wind Ensemble presented by the Music department.UC Santa Cruz Wind Ensemble presents a fall concert. Directed by Nathaniel Berman.—ADMISSION- General admission seating; arrive early for best seat selection- Free for UCSC students (ticket required)- Tickets are available via Eventbrite only and after purchase are available for retrieval in your Eventbrite account.- There is no sales window or will-call window…

The Santa Cruz Antique Faire is on the 2nd Sunday of every month from 9am-5pm, weather permitting. Vendors offer an eclectic blend of antiques and unique items, vintage clothing, collectibles and more! Visit the Antique Faire on Lincoln Street between Pacific and Cedar.

FREE IN-STORE EVENT: Bookshop Santa Cruz welcomes local author and certified Internal Family Systems therapist, Jessica Tomich Sorci for a conversation with Dana Ramsey about Sorci's new book When Good Moms Feel Bad, a first-of-its-kind guide to help moms untangle complicated feelings like anger, guilt, shame, and failure, offering empathy, support, and practical strategies. This event is cosponsored by Nurture…

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…

Parents, come learn more about Ocean Alternative, a K-8 independent study/homeschool program in Live Oak School District. We will explain how our public school program works and what we can offer families.

UCSC Jazz Combos presented by the Music Department.Join the UC Santa Cruz Jazz Combos for a winter concert. Directed by Charles Hamilton.—ADMISSION- General admission- Free for UCSC students (ticket required).- Doors are scheduled to open 30 minutes prior to event start time.- Ticket holders not seated at least 5 minutes before the advertised start time may forfeit their ticket/seat and…

UCSC Concert Choir presented by the Music department.UCSC Concert Choir Performs music by Chris Pratorius, Einojuhanni Rautavarra, and Juhi Bansal. Featured is “Contraponientes,” by Pratorius, a 30-minute piece for choir, three flutes, harp, and cello–a song cycle for choir on texts by Federico Garcia Llorca. “The Rautavaara” also features Llorca texts, while the Bansal reflects some of the pastoral imagery…

UCSC Chamber Singers presented by the Music Department.The UCSC Chamber Singers present a winter concert under the direction of Michael McGushin.--ADMISSION– General admission.– Free for UCSC students (ticket required).– Tickets available here online through Eventbrite only.– Follow the Music Dept on Eventbrite for notices and updates.– Doors are scheduled to open 30 minutes prior to event start time.– Ticket holders…

Attendees will learn how to set up and maintain a vermicomposting worm bin. All levels are welcome! Vermicomposting Workshop and Raffle April 4th, 2026 10:00am-12:00pm. Pre-registration required, space is limited! Located at London Nelson Community Center *Free parking available on the street or at the PD Admin building located at 155 Center Street. Have you been curious about vermicomposting? Maybe…

🎉 Earth Day Santa Cruz is back! 🌎 Join us in Downtown Santa Cruz on Saturday, April 18, from 11:30 AM–4:00 PM for a fun, free celebration of our planet and community. Enjoy live music from SambaDá, FREE face painting and photo booth fun, flower crown making, hands-on Earth Day activities, and eco-friendly vendors. Kids can join the Passport Program,…

Hot Composting Workshop and Raffle April 25th, 2026 10:00am-12:00pm. Pre-registration required, space is limited! *Location TBD, within City of Santa Cruz Have you been curious about hot composting? Maybe you have tried before but need a refresher. No matter your experience, join the City of Santa Cruz Waste Reduction Staff for a workshop all about hot composting! In this workshop,…

Omega Nu welcomes you back to Harvey West Park for our 36th Annual Ducky Derby and Carnival. A fun-filled day for the entire family! Come to the duck races and enjoy food, games, and music. Listen as the bugle blares signaling the start of each race and children run to watch as thousands of rubber ducks course down the water…