Weekend Guide: Things to Do in Santa Cruz & Monterey, October 17-18
This is the weekend Santa Cruz has been building toward all month: the Santa Cruz Film Festival screens its final days across four downtown venues, more than 250 artists open their studios for the all-county finale of the Open Studios Art Tour, Wilder Ranch throws its Heritage Harvest Festival, the UCSC Farm celebrates its own harvest party, and Thomas and Percy both roll into Roaring Camp for a Halloween weekend in the redwoods. Across the bay, the Monterey Tequila Festival pours at the Hyatt Regency, Tides & Terroir returns to Asilomar, Carmel's Tor House hosts its fall festival, and the City of Monterey screens Scooby-Doo on the Colton Hall lawn. Add both counties' farmers markets, pumpkin patches in full October swing, Uncork Corralitos in Watsonville, and a live music lineup from the Catalyst to Moe's Alley to the Golden State Theatre, and you have a weekend worth planning around. This is your share-ready guide to October 17-18, from someone who has called this coast home for more than 50 years.
I am Kieron Bery, a REALTOR® and Pricing Strategy Advisor with Century 21 Masters, and this is the kind of October weekend that makes me love where I live. Every event on this list was verified as current this week, and nearly all of it is the work of neighbors who pour their hearts into this place. Pick one thing or try five, but get out the door. Here is your plan.
Saturday, October 17
Saturday Farmers Markets
Aptos Farmers Market at Cabrillo College, 6500 Soquel Drive: 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Scotts Valley Farmers Market at Graham Plaza, 219 Mt. Hermon Road: 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Westside Santa Cruz Farmers Market, Mission Street Extension at Western Drive: 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM
Old Town Salinas Certified Farmers Market, 300 block of Main Street: 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM
Four Saturday markets across both counties, zero wrong choices. Aptos at Cabrillo is the big weekend ritual, Scotts Valley is settled into its Graham Plaza home, the Westside market is a Santa Cruz institution, and Old Town Salinas runs rain or shine year-round. October is peak winter squash and apple season everywhere, so load up early and go play.
Santa Cruz Film Festival: Final Weekend
Friday through Sunday | Del Mar Theatre, Colligan Theater, Santa Cruz Cinema, and The 418 Project, Santa Cruz
The 26th annual Santa Cruz Film Festival wraps its five-day run this weekend, screening roughly 95 films across the Del Mar Theatre, the Colligan Theater, Santa Cruz Cinema, and The 418 Project, with filmmaker Q&As, panels, and industry events. A festival pass gets you into screenings all weekend, or you can pick a single film; grab tickets and the full schedule at santacruzfilmfestivals.org.
Open Studios Art Tour: All-County Finale
11:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Saturday and Sunday | Artist studios across all of Santa Cruz County | Free
The 41st annual Open Studios Art Tour closes with its all-county weekend: more than 250 painters, ceramicists, jewelers, and printmakers open their studios from the coast to the mountains, all free and self-guided, the finale of a three-weekend season that features 350-plus artists. This is the last chance this year to meet the artists, watch them work, and buy straight from the source. Grab the tour map on the Arts Council Santa Cruz County site and plot a route through town, the valley, or the coast.
Heritage Harvest Festival at Wilder Ranch
11:00 AM to 4:00 PM | Wilder Ranch State Park, 1401 Coast Road, Santa Cruz | Free admission, $10 parking
Wilder Ranch steps back in time for its Heritage Harvest Festival: living-history demonstrations, old-time crafts, old-fashioned games, live music and square dancing, tractor and wagon rides, and heritage apple tasting with the California Rare Fruit Growers, plus food vendors. Free admission and one of the most charming family afternoons of the season.
Harvest Festival at the UCSC Farm
11:00 AM to 3:00 PM | UCSC Farm, 152 Farm Road, Santa Cruz | $5 general admission, free for kids under 12 and students
The Center for Agroecology's annual Harvest Festival is a hillside block party for all ages: face painting, flower pressing, pumpkin painting and sales, tractor rides, live music, food trucks, and an apple pie bake-off. Bring cash for admission and come hungry.
Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk Band Review
Roughly 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM | Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk | Free to watch
About 55 high school and junior high marching bands from across Northern California compete in a judged parade along the beachfront, in what organizers call California's largest marching band competition, a tradition since 1971. Find a spot along the route and cheer for the drum lines.
A Big Surf Weekend
SCSSL Surf Contest, 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM | Steamer Lane, 700 West Cliff Drive, Santa Cruz
The Santa Cruz Scholastic Surf League runs a youth surf competition at the legendary Steamer Lane, right off West Cliff Drive. Free to watch, spectacular to see: the next generation of local surfers on one of the most storied breaks in California.
Women On Waves Surf Contest & Open Water Swim, Saturday 7:00 AM through Sunday 6:00 PM | Capitola Beach, 141 Esplanade
Capitola hosts the Women On Waves longboard surf contest, an amateur women's competition and open-water swim with a boogie board contest, a SUP relay, and an ocean-inspired festival and marketplace on the beach. Cheer from the sand in Capitola Village, then wander the Esplanade for lunch. This is the headline event of the Capitola weekend.
Thomas & Percy's Halloween Party at Roaring Camp
9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Saturday and Sunday | Roaring Camp Railroads, 5401 Graham Hill Road, Felton
This is the weekend the engines reunite: Thomas and Percy both pull into Roaring Camp for the second of three Halloween weekends, with a Halloween-themed steam train ride through the redwoods and pumpkin-season fun for the kids. Trains sell out, so book ahead at roaringcamp.com. If your kids love trains, this is the one.
Downtown Santa Cruz Halloween Mask Making Festival
12:00 PM to 4:30 PM | London Nelson Community Center, 301 Center Street, downtown Santa Cruz | Free
The 26th annual Halloween Mask Making Festival takes over downtown Santa Cruz with mask making, Halloween games, and a Thriller dance you will want to catch on video. It is free, it is wonderfully weird, and it is the official kickoff of Halloween season in Santa Cruz. Bring the kids and let them get gloriously creative.
Santa Cruz Comedy Festival: Grand Finale
7:00 PM to 9:00 PM | Kuumbwa Jazz Center, 320-2 Cedar Street, Santa Cruz | Ages 16+, doors 6:15 PM
The 13th annual Santa Cruz Comedy Festival, 75 comics strong across the week, closes with its All-Star Comedy Show: two hours, 13 headliners, one night only, including Lara Beitz, Toni Nagy, and Kari Assad, many of them veterans who started at the festival years ago. Tickets run about $28 and it sells out fast.
Monterey County, Saturday
Monterey Tequila Festival, 3:00 PM to 11:00 PM | Hyatt Regency Monterey Hotel & Spa, 1 Old Golf Course Road, Monterey
The Monterey Tequila Festival pours tastings from dozens of tequila makers alongside bites from local restaurants, a big, festive night on the Peninsula.
Tides & Terroir: Tasting by the Tides, 12:00 PM to 3:00 PM | Asilomar Conference Grounds, Pacific Grove
Wine, food, and community on the Asilomar meadow: local pours and bites with the dunes and the bay as the backdrop. A civilized way to spend a golden October afternoon.
Walk to End Alzheimer's, registration 8:00 AM, ceremony 9:00 AM, walk 9:30 AM | Custom House Plaza, Downtown Monterey
The Alzheimer's Association's Monterey-area community walk steps off from Custom House Plaza on a one-mile or 3K route. Join the walk, donate, or cheer from the sidewalk. It is a morning that matters.
Spooky Night and Trunk-or-Treat, trunk-or-treat 5:00 PM to 6:30 PM, movie 6:30 PM | Colton Hall Lawn, Pacific Street between Madison and Jefferson, Downtown Monterey | Free
The City of Monterey's free outdoor Halloween movie night: kids collect candy from decorated trunks on the lawn before a big-screen showing of Scooby-Doo (2002). All before dark and entirely free.
Harvest Festival at Pacchetti Dog Park, 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM | Seaside
A dog-friendly harvest festival with a costume contest for the pups, live music, food, and a raffle. Bring your best-dressed dog.
Robinson Jeffers Tor House Fall Festival, Friday through Sunday | Tor House, 26304 Ocean View Avenue, Carmel-by-the-Sea
The Tor House Foundation's fall festival celebrates the poet and his hand-built stone home on the Carmel headlands, with readings, talks, and a sunset gathering in the gardens Friday evening. Saturday's programs take place at the Carmel Woman's Club, and the festival works on either day.
Story Song / Bear Dance, 2:00 PM to 3:30 PM | Monterey Museum of Art, 559 Pacific Street, Monterey | $20, $5 for members, students, military, and youth
A family-friendly afternoon blending story and song at the Monterey Museum of Art.
Live Music Tonight
The Floozies at The Catalyst, 1011 Pacific Avenue, Santa Cruz: show 8:00 PM
The electro-funk duo brings their high-energy live show to one of the coast's most storied clubs.
Megan Woods: The Truth Tour at the Rio Theatre, 1205 Soquel Avenue, Santa Cruz: 7:00 PM
Country-pop rising star Megan Woods plays the Rio on her Truth Tour, a big room and a big voice for Saturday night.
B-Side Players with Elijah Emanuel at Moe's Alley, 1535 Commercial Way, Santa Cruz: doors 8:00 PM, show 9:00 PM, about $30
Latin-funk and soul from the long-running B-Side Players at the coast's favorite blues room.
Amélie Farren, Lilith Max & Rabbitology: The Three Wishes Tour at Felton Music Hall, Felton: 5:30 PM
An early-evening triple bill of indie folk and alt-pop in the redwood town's music hall.
Ingrid Michaelson at the Golden State Theatre, 417 Alvarado Street, Monterey: 8:00 PM
The beloved singer-songwriter brings her warm, witty Cozy Fall Trio Tour to one of Monterey's grandest venues.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show at Santa Cruz Cinema, 1520 Pacific Avenue, Santa Cruz: 11:55 PM
Midnight screening of the cult classic. Time warp optional but encouraged.
Sunday, October 18
Sunday Farmers Markets
Live Oak / Eastside Farmers Market, 15th Avenue at East Cliff Drive, Santa Cruz: 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM
Marina Certified Farmers Market, 215 Reservation Road, Marina: 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM
Live Oak is the only Sunday market in Santa Cruz County, so treat it like the institution it is: grab your fall haul and walk a block to Seabright Beach for an October picnic with the waves rolling in. Across the bridge, Everyone's Harvest keeps Marina sunny and family-friendly. Apples and winter squash are at their peak, so do not leave without a bag.
Film Festival Finale & Open Studios Finale
Santa Cruz Film Festival, final day | Del Mar Theatre, Colligan Theater, Santa Cruz Cinema, and The 418 Project
The last day of the 26th annual festival: catch the screenings you missed and close out this year's run in style. Full schedule at santacruzfilmfestivals.org.
Open Studios Art Tour, final day, 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM | Studios countywide | Free
Your last chance until next year to visit the 250-plus artists of the all-county Open Studios weekend. If you only visit one studio today, make it count.
Thomas & Percy's Halloween Party, Day Two
9:00 AM to 5:00 PM | Roaring Camp Railroads, 5401 Graham Hill Road, Felton
The Halloween train weekend continues with both engines on the line. If Saturday sold out, Sunday is your second chance, and advance tickets are still the move at roaringcamp.com.
Women On Waves, Day Two at Capitola Beach
Through 6:00 PM | Capitola Beach, 141 Esplanade
The amateur women's longboard contest, open-water swim, and ocean festival continue through Sunday afternoon. Bring a chair, settle in on the sand, and watch some of the best women's surfing of the season in one of the prettiest settings on the bay.
Sunday on the Peninsula
Twin Peaks: A Conversation With The Stars, 8:00 PM | Golden State Theatre, 417 Alvarado Street, Monterey
An evening of stories and Q&A with the stars of the cult classic series in one of Monterey's grandest theaters. For fans of the Black Lodge, this is unmissable.
Robinson Jeffers Tor House Fall Festival, final day | Tor House, 26304 Ocean View Avenue, Carmel-by-the-Sea
The festival closes Sunday with readings and garden gatherings at the poet's stone home. A quiet, beautiful way to end the weekend on the Peninsula.
Greenfield Harvest Festival, 12:00 PM to 5:30 PM | El Camino Real between Walnut and Oak Avenues, Greenfield | Free
A free small-town street festival with fall fun for the whole family in the Salinas Valley.
Salinas Harvest Season, 10:30 AM to 3:00 PM | Salinas City Heritage Park, 1 Station Place, Salinas | Free
A free celebration of the harvest at the historic Heritage Park near the old train station, put on with the Steinbeck House.
Morgan Winery "Library Sunday," afternoon | Taste Morgan, Carmel Valley
Winemaker Dan Lee opens his cellar for a taste of the 2018 Double L Pinot Noir. A collector's pour in a beautiful setting.
Sunday Sounds
Sqwerv with Flat Sun Society at Moe's Alley, 1535 Commercial Way, Santa Cruz: doors 7:00 PM, show 8:00 PM, about $18
A Sunday-night dose of psychedelic rock and soul at the alley.
Nep at Felton Music Hall, Felton: 7:00 PM
Indie pop in the redwoods to close out the weekend.
All Weekend: Outdoors, Family & Fall Flavors
Pumpkin Patches at Full Swing
Rodoni Farms, 4444 Coast Road (Highway 1), Santa Cruz: daily through October 31, roughly 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM
Crystal Bay Farm, 40 Zils Road, Watsonville: daily in October, $2 entry per person
Everett Family Farm, 2111 Old San Jose Road, Soquel: daily farm stand, roughly 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM
October means pumpkin patches, and this weekend they are in full swing. Rodoni Farms keeps it classic with a u-pick pumpkin patch and a 5-acre corn maze. Crystal Bay Farm adds u-pick sunflowers, photo stations, weekend live music, vendors, and food trucks. Everett Family Farm keeps its organic farm stand generously stocked with pumpkins and squash. Take the kids, take your camera, and come home with more pumpkins than you planned on.
Monarchs Are Arriving at Natural Bridges
Natural Bridges State Beach, 2531 West Cliff Drive, Santa Cruz
The first monarchs of the season are starting to gather in the eucalyptus grove at Natural Bridges, California's only State Monarch Preserve. Peak numbers come in late November and early December, but this is the weekend to start watching. Heads up: the park's free monarch self-guided tours begin Monday, October 19, so the timing could not be better to plan a return visit next week. Across the bay, the Pacific Grove Monarch Grove Sanctuary is also seeing its first arrivals, with museum docents on site about 12:00 to 3:00 PM daily through the season.
Raise a Glass This Weekend
Monterey Tequila Festival: tastings from dozens of tequila makers and bites from local restaurants at the Hyatt Regency, Saturday 3:00 to 11:00 PM.
Tides & Terroir: wine and food on the Asilomar meadow, Saturday 12:00 to 3:00 PM.
Uncork Corralitos, 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM, VIP at 11:30 AM | Alladin Nursery & Gift Shop, 2905 Freedom Boulevard, Watsonville
The 5th annual garden party pours 10 wineries, 3 breweries, and 3 cideries alongside 4 food trucks and live music from the Ripatti Rose Band. General admission is about $60, VIP $90, and proceeds benefit the Rotary Club of Freedom's local nonprofits.
Santa Cruz Mountains Wine Passport Day, Saturday
The last 2026 passport day for the Santa Cruz Mountains wineries: passport holders hop between participating mountain tasting rooms all afternoon.
Albatross Ridge Winery & Kitchen, Saturday afternoon | Carmel Valley
The Landing Trio plays live with award-winning wines and small bites.
Puma Road at Portola Plaza, Saturday | Old Monterey
Live music by Nick DiSalvo with wine by the glass and bottle on the plaza. October is harvest season, and both counties pour it well.
Community News Worth Knowing
A few things happening around town this week worth sharing: the Santa Cruz Film Festival's return for its 26th year has been the talk of downtown, and this is the final weekend to catch it. The 13th annual Santa Cruz Comedy Festival closes its week too, with the All-Star Comedy Show Saturday night at Kuumbwa. Open Studios closes its 41st season with the biggest weekend of the tour, and the Boardwalk Band Review brings about 55 marching bands to the beachfront. The MAH hosts a History Forum celebrating 60 years of Santa Cruz Junior Guards at Evergreen Cemetery on Saturday, and the first monarchs of the season are back at Natural Bridges, which means fall has officially arrived on this coast. That is the Santa Cruz I know and love.
Shareable Social Captions
Planning to post about the weekend? Here are some ready-to-copy captions for Instagram and Facebook, written the way I would share my own plans with friends.
This is the weekend, friends: the Santa Cruz Film Festival closes out its 26th year across four downtown theaters, and 250-plus artists open their studios for the Open Studios all-county finale. My plan: a film in the morning, a studio crawl in the afternoon, and maybe both days. Who is in? 🎬 🎨 #SantaCruzEvents #ThingsToDoSantaCruz #WeekendInSantaCruz #SantaCruzLife
Parents, this one is for you: Thomas AND Percy are both pulling into Roaring Camp for Halloween train rides through the redwoods, Wilder Ranch throws its Heritage Harvest Festival, the UCSC Farm harvest party has tractor rides and an apple pie bake-off, and the pumpkin patches are in full swing. The kids will be talking about it for weeks. 🌊 🎃 #SantaCruzEvents #WeekendInSantaCruz #ThingsToDoSantaCruz #SantaCruzLife
Surf's up on both sides of the bay: youth surfers take on Steamer Lane on Saturday, the Women On Waves contest and open-water swim run all weekend at Capitola Beach, and the Boardwalk Band Review marches 55 bands along the beachfront. I will be the one on the sand with a coffee and a blanket. 🌊 🏄♀️ #SantaCruzEvents #ThingsToDoSantaCruz #WeekendInSantaCruz #SantaCruzLife #MontereyBay
Monterey side, your weekend is stacked: the Tequila Festival pours at the Hyatt Regency on Saturday, Tides & Terroir returns to Asilomar, Tor House celebrates its fall festival in Carmel, and Sunday closes with Twin Peaks stars on stage at the Golden State Theatre. Two counties, one golden October. 🍷 #MontereyBay #SantaCruzEvents #WeekendInSantaCruz #ThingsToDoSantaCruz
My full weekend script: Aptos market at 8, Wilder Ranch by 11, Uncork Corralitos in Watsonville by 1, a film at the Del Mar, pumpkins before dark, and surf watching at Capitola Beach on Sunday as Women On Waves winds down. October on the Central Coast is the best kept secret in California, and the secret is staying with us. 🍂 #WeekendInSantaCruz #SantaCruzEvents #MontereyBay #SantaCruzLife #ThingsToDoSantaCruz
Enjoy the weekend, everyone. Whether you are catching a film at the Del Mar, touring artist studios, riding a Halloween train through the redwoods, cheering from the sand at Capitola, or toasting the harvest in Monterey, I hope this October weekend gives you exactly what you need. And if you are thinking about buying or selling a home in Santa Cruz or Monterey County, I would love to hear from you. Call me at (831) 247-5719 or visit the contact page. I want you to make informed decisions, and I love helping people find their place in this beautiful corner of California.
Talk soon.
Kieron Bery, REALTOR® with Century 21 Masters
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