Welcome to Halloween Week and BONUS “Hallo-weekend,” Santa Cruz! 🎃
🎃 Some towns celebrate Halloween. Santa Cruz trains for it. This week brings witches on paddleboards, musicians masquerading as other musicians, silent-screen monsters and enough candy stops to test the structural integrity of a pillowcase. There’s also time for a three-course dinner, a coastal nature walk and meaningful gatherings honoring loved ones we’ve lost. Get your rest, carb load, stay hydrated and then get out there and have a BLAST!
Here’s what’s up…
🍽️ Before surrendering your diet entirely to miniature candy bars, squeeze in a proper dinner. Santa Cruz Restaurant Week continues through Wednesday, Oct. 28, with participating restaurants offering three-course dinners for $45, $55 or $65. Check the menus, pick somewhere you’ve been meaning to try and make those last three nights count. We tried Woody’s at the Watsonville airport last night and enjoyed a delicious three-course meal with welcoming, attentive service. Our patio table came with a little extra entertainment: planes coming and going and a full moon overhead.
🌽 There’s still time to find your jack-o’-lantern in the wild. Make a North Coast outing of it at Rodoni Farms’ pumpkin patch, where pumpkin picking and a five-acre corn maze can turn one Halloween errand into an afternoon adventure. Open daily through Saturday, Oct. 31, from 9am-6pm, rain or shine. Carving skills sold separately.
🎶 Lyle Lovett brings a little Texas to Santa Cruz on Wednesday, Oct. 28, when he and his Small Large Band play the Civic Auditorium at 8pm. The four-time Grammy winner’s sound travels freely through country, swing, jazz, folk, gospel and blues. Doors open at 7pm.
🧘 For a different kind of sound journey that same evening, Wednesday, Oct. 28, Land of Medicine Buddha hosts Kalden Kho from 6-7pm. Settle into the Soquel retreat’s Gompa for a meditative hour of Tibetan chanting and musical instruments. Bring a yoga mat, blanket or pad to relax on. Suggested donation: $20.
💀 Sometimes nature provides its own Halloween curiosities. The Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History’s Museum of the Macabre explores the strange, eerie side of science, including a special “Cabinets, Curiosities & Collecting” exhibit inspired by old-fashioned cabinets of wonder. Catch it before October slips into the shadows.
🎬 “I see dead people” hits a little differently during Halloween week. Boardwalk Fright Flicks wraps up Wednesday, Oct. 28, with The Sixth Sense in the historic Grove Ballroom. Doors open at 7:30pm; the movie starts at 8pm. Tickets are $18 and include a drink and first-come, first-served beach-chair seating. Even if you know the ending, watching everyone else figure it out is fun.
🌸 Taking a break from the spooky stuff, Dynomite Farm needs volunteers ages 16+ to help put its dahlias to bed for the season. Lift, wash and label tubers starting Wednesday, Oct. 28, with daily shifts from 10am-12noon or 1-3pm through Dec. 20, except Thanksgiving. No experience needed. As a thank-you, take home a mason jar of blooms while they still have flowers (bring your own jar). Or, get a gift card for a Mason Jar Cutting during the 2027 season. Sign up here.
🎨 Need a little creative downtime before the costume chaos? Kids Crafternoon at La Selva Beach Library on Thursday, Oct. 29, from 4-5:30pm offers a hands-on session with a new craft to explore.
🐶 Your dog has been wearing the same fur coat all year. Time for a change. The Seacliff Inn “Howl-oween” Pet Costume Parade in Aptos Thursday, Oct. 29, from 4:30-6:30pm features a costume contest, raffle, food and drinks, plus a special pet menu. The Santa Cruz SPCA will be there with adoptable dogs, too. Costumes are encouraged for pets AND their people. Admission is free.
🕯️ Photographs, favorite foods and familiar stories help keep loved ones close. Watsonville Public Library’s Día de los Muertos festivities Thursday, Oct. 29, from 5:30-7:30pm bring a spirit of remembrance to the Main Library with a community altar, artwork, lotería, a scavenger hunt and free pan dulce. All ages are welcome to share in this Mexican cultural tradition.
👠 Before there were midnight screenings, flying toast and generations doing the Time Warp, there was a very unusual little musical. Strange Journey: The Story of Rocky Horror screens at Capitola Library Thursday, Oct. 29, from 7-8:30pm. Directed by Linus O’Brien, the documentary explores the history and enduring following of this cult phenomenon.
🌼 Watsonville’s Mercado de Muertos Friday, Oct. 30, from 3-7pm brings local art vendors, family activities, community ofrendas and an art installation downtown. Stay for a screening of Coco in the plaza from 7-9pm, a fitting film about family, memory and the bonds that cross generations. Bring something warm for the movie – and perhaps a tissue.
🎹 A Haunting Evening of Silent Cinema comes to The Landing in Scotts Valley Friday, Oct. 30, from 6:30-9pm, pairing the 1925 Phantom of the Opera with live piano accompaniment by Kylan deGhetaldi and a rare screening of the 1910 Frankenstein. Total run time of both movies is 90 minutes. Wear a costume for a chance at a prize. The evening supports future shows and programs at The Landing.
🧛 Soquel’s getting a visit from Countess June, Count Kraftula and Zombie Craig. Otherwise known as Bonny June & Bonfire, the trio brings its Halloween show to the Ugly Mug Friday, Oct. 30, from 7-9pm. Expect new Halloween songs and frightening favorites involving werewolves, murderous cowboys and other questionable company. Doors open at 6:30pm; tickets are $35. Reserve ahead and come in costume.
🎸 And now even the bands are dressing up! Crepe-O-Ween at The Crepe Place brings two nights of musical masquerading. Friday, Oct. 30, features Harry & the Hitmen as Hall & Oates, Bounce House as Black Sabbath and Blister in the Sun as the Violent Femmes. On Saturday, Oct. 31, Kentucky Mule becomes Creedence Clearwater Revival, Cold Water Law Firm channels the Clash, Supernaut takes on Cream and the Ooo-Maus steps into the Doors’ leather pants. Both shows start at 8pm; tickets are $20 each night. Come in costume and give the bands some competition!
🧟 One costume, two nights out. That’s getting your mummy’s worth. The Crow’s Nest doubles down on Halloween with Fishhook’s rock ’n’ roll party Friday, Oct. 30, followed by Cake By The Ocean’s pop and alternative rock from the ’90s on Saturday, Oct. 31. Both start at 8pm and feature costume contests with first-, second- and third-place prizes. Cover is $7 Friday and $8 Saturday.
💃 And here’s more double trouble! Go through the looking glass at Brookdale Lodge’s Freaker’s Ball, a two-night Halloween party on Friday, Oct. 30, and Saturday, Oct. 31. Raindance brings DJs, live music and a costume contest to the mountain lodge, with a lineup including Fort Knox Five, Thug Shells and Little John with Matt Hartle on guitar. Doors open at 6pm; music runs from 7pm-2am.
🧙♀️ The witches are setting down their broomsticks and taking to the sea! SUP Shack’s Halloween Witches Paddle takes over Santa Cruz Harbor Saturday, Oct. 31, from 9am-10:30am, with prizes for the best costumes. Make sure yours is safe to paddle in. Advance registration is required; no walk-ups.
🎃 Little monsters get their moment at the Aptos Village Halloween Parade Saturday, Oct. 31, from 1-3pm. Gather the family, break out the costumes and join the Aptos Chamber’s free community celebration in the village.
🍬 Get ready for the sugar shock! On Saturday, Oct. 31, Halloween at the Boardwalk runs from 11am-8pm, with a $12 trick-or-treat package that includes a collectible bag and a $10 MyBoardwalk game card. Prefer the downtown tradition? Downtown Santa Cruz’s trick-or-treating runs from 2-5pm, followed by – or overlapping with – free trick-or-treating on the Wharf from 3-6pm. Come with comfortable shoes, a spacious bag for treats and reasonable expectations about sharing.
🎧 The dance floor is open to the under-21 crowd, too. Rave at the Grave takes over the Catalyst and Atrium on Saturday, Oct. 31, from 7pm-midnight, with two DJs across two rooms, including touring DJ Darkerdaze. Add a costume contest with thousands in prizes, and you’ve got a Halloween night worth dressing up for. Ages 16+.
🍭 Halloween in the redwoods comes with its own candy corridor. Downtown Felton and Boulder Creek’s Trick-or-Treat Streets both run Saturday, Oct. 31, from 5-7pm, with local businesses welcoming costumed visitors. In Ben Lomond, the Santa Cruz Mountains Art Center joins the fun from 6-8pm with free trick-or-treating, spooky decorations and children’s artwork. Enter through the gate between the Art Center and the Ben Lomond Market parking lot. Artists with access to an entire wardrobe of weird? This should be good.
💃 Once the candy rounds are complete, Boulder Creek isn’t quite ready for bed. Lille æske’s Halloween Dance Party with DJ T-BUB Saturday, Oct. 31, from 8-11pm brings disco, funk, house and classics to the arthouse, along with spooky art by Chaz Nowatski. Tickets are $15 in advance or $20 at the door. Give that costume a turn on the dance floor!
🧛♀️ For those whose Halloween plans call for something a little more decadent, Chaminade’s Vampire Ball runs Saturday, Oct. 31, from 8:30pm-12:30am. The 21+ celebration promises a DJ, dancing, a costume contest, fortune tellers, fire dancers and a heavy-bites (vampire pun intended?) station, with drinks available from a cash bar. Tickets are listed at $82.
🕯️ Sunday offers space to remember. Pajaro Valley Arts’ Mi Casa es Tu Casa: Caminos de Recuerdo holds its opening reception and community celebration Sunday, Nov. 1, from 12noon-3pm at the Porter Building, 280 Main St., Watsonville. Rooted in Día de los Muertos traditions, the exhibition brings together artwork, community altars, ofrendas and storytelling honoring ancestors and loved ones. The show opens Tuesday, Oct. 27, and continues through Dec. 5.
🌼 Remembrance also moves into the streets at Calles Libres/Open Streets Watsonville Sunday, Nov. 1, from 12noon-4pm around Callaghan Park and Brennan Street. The free, car-free gathering inspired by Día de los Muertos combines cultural performances, music, art, biking, wellness activities and family games. A community altar offers a place to honor loved ones and pets; visitors may bring photographs, marigolds or other meaningful items.
👟 Need a break after all that Halloween reveling? Join the California Native Plant Society’s Sunset State Beach field trip Sunday, Nov. 1, from 3:30-5:30pm. The roughly one-mile walk explores coastal dune plants at an appropriately leisurely “botanist pace,” with fall blooms and a sunset on the agenda. Expect uneven, unstable sand; advance signup is required and space is limited. Parking is $10 without a State Parks pass, and heavy rain cancels. A gentle landing after a very spirited week.
Whew! I can’t believe we packed it all in – costumes, culture, candy and even a little coastal recovery time. Now let’s catch our breath and check the news headlines.
News Highlights:
ICE Agents Seek to Make Arrest at Santa Cruz Jail; Leave Empty Handed
Worrisome Chemical Found in Bay Area, Santa Cruz Creeks
Watsonville Hospital Board to Consider Maternity and NICU Closures
Mask Requirement Begins Sunday in Certain Health Facilities
Kelvin Wave Pushes Local Sea Levels Higher
Trash Service Compliance Deadline Is Sunday
Highway 9 Faces Two Full Overnight Closures
More Vote Centers Open This Weekend
Halloween Brings Triple Fines and Downtown Traffic Restrictions
Winter Shelter Plans Face a Funding Squeeze
What Measure D Would Mean for Coastal Protections
UCSC’s Campus E-Bike Service Faces an Uncertain Future
Plus the Race is On, Haunting Santa Cruz, Que Syrah, Rest in Pizza, Happy Succession, Distinguished Artists, Underwater What?, Photobombing Great White Sharks…and much more!
TOP STORIES
ICE Agents Seek to Make Arrest at Santa Cruz Jail; Leave Empty Handed
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrived at the Santa Cruz Main Jail on Saturday morning seeking to take someone into custody, but left without detaining anyone.
Worrisome Chemical Found in Bay Area, Santa Cruz Creeks
A toxic tire-rubber chemical called 6PPD-quinone has been found at high levels in Santa Cruz County creeks, including Branciforte Creek and Carbonera Creek.
Watsonville Hospital Board to Consider Maternity and NICU Closures
Hospital leaders meet Wednesday, Oct. 28, at 5pm to consider closing Watsonville Community Hospital’s maternity services and neonatal intensive care unit.
Mask Requirement Begins Sunday in Certain Health Facilities
Starting Sunday, Nov. 1, staff and visitors must mask in patient-facing indoor areas of county skilled nursing facilities and infusion centers.
Kelvin Wave Pushes Local Sea Levels Higher
A passing Kelvin wave has raised local sea levels, and researchers warn that these surges could compound coastal flooding when combined with winter storms and high tides.
Trash Service Compliance Deadline Is Sunday
Owners of developed properties outside city limits must arrange waste collection or register as self-haulers by Sunday, Nov. 1, to avoid potential fines.
Highway 9 Faces Two Full Overnight Closures
Highway 9 near Boulder Creek closes overnight Monday, Oct. 26, from 8pm-6am and Tuesday, Oct. 27, from 7pm-6am for bridge construction.
More Vote Centers Open This Weekend
More vote centers open countywide Saturday, Oct. 31, offering in-person voting, ballot replacements and same-day registration; Soquel High’s location opens Sunday, Nov. 1.
Halloween Brings Triple Fines and Downtown Traffic Restrictions
Santa Cruz will impose triple fines for specified violations over Halloween weekend, with downtown road closures and parking restrictions Saturday, Oct. 31-Sunday, Nov. 1.
Winter Shelter Plans Face a Funding Squeeze
County officials warn that funding may fall short as they plan to open severe-weather shelters under broader cold-and-rain criteria.
What Measure D Would Mean for Coastal Protections
Measure D would require voter approval for new onshore facilities supporting offshore oil, gas and seabed mining.
UCSC’s Campus E-Bike Service Faces an Uncertain Future
UCSC could lose campus BCycle stations amid stalled funding talks, though service will continue through at least the end of fall quarter.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Between keeping up with the news and figuring out what’s for dinner, it’s easy to miss a story or two. Here are a few highlights from Good Times on what’s happening, who’s making moves and what all the buzz is about across the county this week.
Santa Cruz’s contentious mayoral race pits former mayor and county supervisor Ryan Coonerty against progressive activist and author Ami Chen Mills. Steve Kettmann looks beyond the online attacks to explore their shared concerns about the city’s future, differing approaches to leadership and the potential for a close contest to energize civic engagement.
From eerie encounters at Brookdale Lodge to Bigfoot sightings and Monterey Bay sea monster tales, local author Aubrey Graves explores Santa Cruz County’s spooky side in her new book, Supernatural Santa Cruz: The Ultimate Edition. Drawing on years of investigations and witness interviews, she gathers stories from more than 100 locations, including familiar landmarks you might never look at quite the same way again.
Some treble notes, some bass notes, all blending together… Josie Cowden talks to
Demetria Estate owner Constantine Zahoudanis about the 2023 Cuvée Constantine, a delicious GSM blend (52% Grenache, 31% Syrah, 17% Mourvèdre).
Mark C. Anderson bids a nostalgic farewell to Mama Celeste frozen pizzas, then digs into fresh developments on the Westside: Sidepiece’s twice-weekly sushi pop-up at Madson Wines and the anticipated December opening of Manresa Bread and adjoining French bistro Bar Select.
From baker to owner, Javier Ortiz has spent more than three decades at Kelly’s French Bakery, carrying on its legacy alongside his wife, Gabriela Hernandez. Andrew Steingrube explores their story and the Westside pop-up where they’ve brought customer favorites like mini carrot cakes, chocolate mousse cakes and fresh pastries back to individual customers.
Christina Waters celebrates pianist Alexander Kobrin’s standout Santa Cruz recital on a $265,000 concert grand and explores Ensemble Monterey’s bold new season with pay-what-you-can admission. She also spotlights Espressivo’s season opener and November performances by the Santa Cruz Chamber Players.
At 86, Santa Cruz attorney Ed Frey credits his unconventional underwater yoga practice with improving his mobility and easing years of stiffness and injuries. Elizabeth Borelli meets him at Simpkins Family Swim Center, where he offers free introductory sessions built around floating, stretching and spontaneous movement in warm water.
Read your Free Will Astrology horoscope from Rob Brezsny here.
👀 WAIT, WHAT?! 🦈📸
A beach pic with friends. The ocean sparkling behind you. A great white shark going airborne in the background. Wait…WHAT?! Beachgoers at Marina State Beach captured the ultimate shark photobomb, and California State Parks independently confirmed the breach. Turns out, it’s “Sharktober”: September through November, when adult white sharks return to California’s coast following their offshore migration, drawn to areas where seals and sea lions gather. There’s always someone who has to make the photo about them.🦈😬