Oct
8
Back in the wild 1970s, multiple-Grammy winner Rickie Lee Jones was busy waiting tables and singing songs in dive bars. In a somewhat famous story…
Music
📍 Midtown
Santa Cruz Scene: What's happening in Santa Cruz County
From the waves to the redwoods, it's all happening here.
Santa Cruz Scene (santacruzscene.com) is a free daily calendar of in-person events across Santa Cruz County, California.
See what's on this weekend →In-person only, on purpose. Everything here is something you can actually show up to. No screens, no streams.
★ Featured this season
★ Featured Event
Fri, Oct 9, 2026 · 7:00 PM
The Kick Off - Sonivore Listening Lounge
📍 Sonivore · Downtown Santa Cruz · $25
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…
Art & Culture
Music
📍 Downtown Santa Cruz
Details →
★ Featured
Thu, Oct 8, 2026 · UCSC Institute of the Arts and Sciences
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…
Education
📍 Westside
★ Featured
Sat, Oct 10, 2026 · Humble Sea at The Wharf
House on the Wharf
House on the Wharf is a free, all ages afternoon and evening of music, food, and beer at Humble Sea on the Santa Cruz Wharf…
Music
📍 Beach & Boardwalk
★ Featured
Sat, Oct 10, 2026 · Rio Theatre for the Performing Arts
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…
Art & Culture
📍 Midtown
Coming up
Thu, Oct 8, 2026 · The Crepe Place
THE GUITARSONISTS
A live set from The Guitarsonists, bringing blues and R&B to a local stage.
Music
📍 Midtown
☀️ Happening today
Thursday, October 8Thursday's got a steady library hum to it: Wings Birth Certificate & Notary Services sets up at the Downtown Branch, while little ones can tumble into Storytime and Stay & Play just down the hall. Up in Scotts Valley, Astrophotography With Keith Kirk makes the case for looking up tonight. If you'd rather ride than read, Roaring Camp Railroads runs its Redwood Forest Steam Train through the San Lorenzo Valley. Cap the day at Discretion Brewing in Soquel, where Blue Lemonade plays starting at 5:30, pint in hand.
27 events on today. No plans required, just go. See the full day →
4:30 PM
See listing
Conversations in Español - Community club to foster fluency
📍 Garfield Park Branch Library
Community
5:00 PM
FREE
UCSC: Fall Exhibitions
📍 UCSC Institute of the Arts and Sciences
Community
5:00 PM
$40
Persephone Restaurant Thursday Night Pasta Special
📍 Persephone Restaurant
Markets
5:30 PM
FREE
Bruce H. Jennings in conversation with Mayor Fred Keeley
📍 UCSC Haybarn
Education
5:30 PM
See listing
Blue Lemonade
📍 Discretion Brewing
Music
5:30 PM
See listing
THE GUITARSONISTS
📍 The Crepe Place
Music
6:00 PM
See listing
AA/PI/SWANA Community Welcome: Hatch Into Your Next Chapter!
📍 Colleges Nine and John R. Lewis College Multi-purpose Room
Education
6:00 PM
See listing
Our Community Reads: Voting Party
📍 Live Oak Branch Library
Community
6:00 PM
See listing
Mattie Brice / Presentation on Post-Apocalyptic Video Games & Play
📍 The 418 Project
Community
What's happening
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Showing 30 of 2750 upcoming events
Oct
8
Analog Dog at Felton Music Hall on Thursday, October 8th 2026 Tickets at: https://www.prekindle.com/event/29513-analog-dog-felton
Music
📍 San Lorenzo Valley
Oct
8
Most widely known for the eponymous hit, “Crank That (Soulja Boy),” the hip hop icon takes the stage performing classic anthems that defined a generation…
Oct
8
Maya DeVitry & Mark Erelli LIVE at Lille Aeske Arthouse
📍 Lille Aeske Arthouse
🕒 8:00 PM – 10:00 PM · See listing
Nashville singer-songwriter and fiddler Maya DeVitry came to prominence as part of the Lancaster, Pennsylvania alt-country/folk trio The Stray Birds. With that group she released…
Oct
9
Celebrate fall migration through guided bird walks, workshops and community events around Santa Cruz County and the Monterey Bay region. Advance registration is required for…
Family
Outdoors
Oct
9
Wilder Ranch State Park: Guided Coastal Birding Walk
📍 Wilder Ranch State Park
🕒 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM · FREE
On this 2.5 mile hike, be prepared to walk on uneven surfaces, with many stops to view the many birds, plants, and scenery along the…
Oct
9
Cypress Health Institute Certified Massage Therapist Program
Oct
9
Leave your mark on Santa Cruz history by volunteering at the historic Evergreen Cemetery every Friday from 9:30am-12pm. No need to register, just show up…
Oct
9
Roaring Camp Railroads: Redwood Forest Steam Train
📍 Roaring Camp Railroads
🕒 10:30 AM – 3:00 PM · $26.45
Travel over trestles, through towering redwood groves and up a winding narrow-gauge grade to the summit of Bear Mountain as conductors narrate the history of…
Oct
9
A time for free play for children with a participating adult.
Oct
9
Art for Healing: Using the power of the creative process to provide support, insight and a deeper relationship with yourself in a safe and nurturing…
Wellness
Art & Culture
Oct
9
We will be hosting the Open Studios Preview Exhibition, showcasing the work of all the 330+ Santa Cruz County Open Studios Artists who are participating…
Oct
9
We are knitting at Live Oak Library on Fridays.
Oct
9
What Got You Here WILL Get You There - Approaching the Job Search Over 55
📍 Capitola Branch Library
🕒 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM · See listing
This 6-session series is an opportunity to evaluate your skills, talents and experiences through a new lens. Are you 55+ and want or need to…
Oct
9
Join our Bridge Club for friendly games and social fun, open to players of all skill levels.
Oct
9
Produce Pop-Up is a twice-weekly organic farmstand open to all members of the UC Santa Cruz community. The program is dedicated to increasing access to…
Oct
9
This 6-session series is an opportunity to evaluate your skills, talents and experiences through a new lens.
Oct
9
A supportive space where family care-partners tending for a loved one with a cognitive impairment can connect, share experiences, and find support.
Oct
9
Come join Librarian Emily for stories, songs, and lots of fun for preschoolers and their caregivers in our beautiful, newly-renovated Scotts Valley Library Branch every…
Oct
9
Bilingual Storytime @ Scotts Valley
📍 Scotts Valley Branch Library
🕒 11:30 AM – 12:00 PM · See listing
To celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, we are hosting a special story time with stories and songs in English and Spanish!
Oct
9
Join Aquarium staff for some bilingual, ocean-learning fun through stories, songs, and movement.
Oct
9
Love Apple Farms in Scotts Valley is holding their first ever free-entry pumpkin patch and winter plant sale. Featuring a haunted greenhouse, gorgeous flower and…
Oct
9
Carlos Motta: When Time Stands Still
📍 UCSC Institute of the Arts and Sciences
🕒 12:00 PM – 5:00 PM · FREE
Carlos Motta’s When Time Stands Still, the artist’s second solo show with the IAS, features new and recent installations, videos, and sculptures highlighting the artist’s…
Oct
9
UCSC: Victor “Marka27” Exhibition
📍 UCSC Institute of the Arts and Sciences
🕒 12:00 PM – 5:00 PM · FREE
“Ni de aquí, ni de allá” (“neither from here, nor there”), is a phrase commonly used by bilingual, bicultural communities. In the exhibition the phrase…
Oct
9
Play cards with fun folks every 2nd and 4th Friday.
Oct
9
Sharpen your word skills and enjoy friendly competition at our Scrabble Club - fun for all levels.
Oct
9
Getting Involved in Your Campus Community
📍 Academic Resources Center (ARC)
🕒 1:20 PM – 2:05 PM · See listing
In this workshop, you will: Learn how to get involved with the campus community and how it supports student success. The Successful Slug Workshop series…
Oct
9
The African American Resource and Cultural Center (AARCC) is excited to invite you to our Welcome Black BBQ ! Friday, October 9th 2:00 PM, 5:00…
Oct
9
This month's book will be One for the Money by Janet Evanovich.
Oct
9
Mark the fall migration at one of the most beautiful places on the planet for the Monterey Bay Festival of Birds featuring field trips, workshops…
Family
Outdoors
2720 more events further out
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.
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