Low Tide Local · Edition #027 · September 29, 2026
I was able to go to Club Aligne's Sip Social at Verve this weekend and it was so fun. Two local girls creating wellness events for the community. Definitely worth checking out one of their future events! The gorgeous weather won't stop and we are soaking up our favorite time of year here in Santa Cruz.
Now let's get into this week:
TICKETS ARE LIVE!
Wednesday, October 14
Want to make new friends?! That's what the Low Tide Dinner Club is for.
How it works: Take a quick personality quiz, and we'll group you with four to six other locals we think you'll like. We book a table at a local restaurant for 6:30 PM and tell you which one the morning of. Come solo or bring a plus-one.
Tickets are $20 and dinner's on you. We will probably limit the number of seats for the first one, so early birds get the worm.
CONDITIONS · TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29
SUNRISE 7:01 AM
SUNSET 6:56 PM
WATER 62°F · full 3/2
SURF 3 to 5 ft · light wind
HIGH TIDE 5.7 ft · 12:11 PM
FOG AM patches, then sun
AQI 53 · moderate
UV 6 · high, midday
Warm all week, 83 today and around 80 through the weekend. Fire weather in the hills through Wednesday, and a coastal flood advisory for low spots through Thursday with the big midday high tides.
A west-northwest swell peaks today with light wind. The Lane is 4 to 6, Pleasure Point 3 to 5, and Jack's and the Hook 2 to 3. It fades Wednesday, and another swell could show up Monday.
A different orca family swam in last Thursday. Hopper's pod is four whales, led by Hopper, a 31-year-old mom whose son Shrek has a dorsal fin that's still growing in. They've been clocked swimming 300 miles from Mendocino to Monterey Bay in under 72 hours. They ditched all four whale-watch boats after six surfacings. The humpbacks stuck around, at least 60 that day and 65 the Tuesday before, which Sanctuary Cruises called its best humpback trip of the year. Thursday's captain's log.
An orca breaching outside Moss Landing, Wednesday, September 23. Photo: Sack for Sanctuary Cruises
PUMPKINS
Rodoni Farms, 4444 Coast Rd, daily 9 to 6 through Halloween, corn maze $5, no credit cards. Crystal Bay Farm, 40 Zils Rd, Watsonville, daily 10 to 6, $2 entry, u-pick apples and sunflowers too. Corralitos Hills Farm, 3240 Freedom Blvd, is new to us and family-run, Fridays noon to 5 and weekends 10 to 5. Cuny's on Soquel Drive opens Thursday.
APPLES
Gizdich Ranch, 55 Peckham Rd, Watsonville, weekends 9 to 5, card only. Clearview Orchards, 646 Trabing Rd, weekends 10 to 4, book online first. Swanton Pacific Ranch in Davenport, Fridays through Sundays. Luz del Valle on Hames Rd has hourly slots this weekend, $15 adults and $12 kids, a pound of apples included. The UCSC Farm u-pick runs Saturday 9 to noon.
TOGETHER WITH
Want your business featured here? This is where we put one local business we've partnered with each week and tell our readers why we like it. If you think your business is a good fit, we'd love to hear from you.
Felton's new pump track is open
The banked asphalt loop at Felton Covered Bridge County Park, 6299 Graham Hill Rd, opened September 19 on an old volleyball court. It's free, sunrise to sundown, for anything with wheels, and it sits below ground level so you can still see the bridge.
Capitola Village parking goes to $2.50 an hour in January
The City Council moved last Thursday to raise parking in the Village and on Cliff Drive from $2 to $2.50 an hour starting January 1. Staff proposed $1.25 for the upper and lower City Hall lots, and the council went to $1.50 instead, so the lots stay the cheap option by a dollar. The mayor also asked staff for clearer pay-here signs, since visitors keep missing them and getting tickets.
View Mo's Map to see what's happening near you, plus the markets and the weekend's sales.
Garage sales get refreshed every Friday.
★ = family-friendly
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29
★ Tuesday Night Sailboat Races · First start around 5:45 PM · Santa Cruz Harbor, west jetty by the Walton Lighthouse · Free to watch
Races run every Tuesday through October 27. Bring dinner out to the jetty.
La Bohème Under the Redwoods · 7 PM · Audrey Stanley Grove, DeLaveaga Park, 501 Upper Park Rd · $25 to $40, parking $10 cash
One night only. The Santa Cruz Opera Project does Puccini on the Shakespeare stage.
Aldous Harding at the Rio · Doors 7, show 8 PM · Rio Theatre, 1205 Soquel Ave, Midtown · $33, all ages
New Zealand art-folk, with Sam Burton opening.
Have a listen: Aldous Harding ↗ and Sam Burton ↗
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30
Free Candlelit Yin Yoga · 6:30 to 7:30 PM · Hot Elevation Studios, 1440 41st Ave, Suite E, Capitola · Free, sign up first
Restorative yin by candlelight with Cory Ruotola.
Raynes at Felton Music Hall · Doors 7, show 8 PM · 6275 Hwy 9, Felton · $20, all ages
Harmony folk-rock, with David Wimbish & The Collection opening.
Have a listen: Raynes ↗ and David Wimbish ↗
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1
Myco-Mixer at Far West Fungi · 2 to 5 PM · 224 Laurel St, Suite A101, Downtown · Free
Free bites and samples, happy-hour deals, and house-made tacos. Every Thursday through November.
B-Movie Kings at Bargetto · 6 to 8 PM · Bargetto Winery, 3535 N Main St, Soquel Village · No cover
A Santa Cruz classic-rock party band, with Taquizas Gabriel tacos for sale.
Have a listen: The B-Movie Kings ↗
Pearl & The Oysters · 7 PM · The Crepe Place garden stage, 1134 Soquel Ave, Midtown · $20 advance, $25 door, all ages
Flute-and-keys dream pop, with Mae Powell opening.
Have a listen: Pearl & The Oysters ↗
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2
★ MAH Free First Friday · Noon to 8 PM · Museum of Art & History, 705 Front St, Downtown · Free
Last free look at "Santa Cruz Guitar Company: The First 50 Years," which closes Sunday.
★ Museum of the Macabre · 5 to 8 PM · Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History, 1305 East Cliff Dr, Seabright · Free
Live taxidermy demos and real snakes. Creepy enough for a 7-year-old to brag about.
★ Open Studios Preview Night · 5 to 8 PM · M.K. Contemporary Art, 703 Front St, and the Santa Cruz Art League, 526 Broadway · Free
M.K. shows every artist on the tour.
★ Boulder Creek Treat Walk · 5 to 8 PM · Downtown Boulder Creek, Hwy 9 · Free
Shops hand out candy. Costumes optional.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 3
★ Moran Lake Beach Cleanup · 9 to 11 AM · 22790 E Cliff Dr, Live Oak · Free, register first
Kids need a signed waiver.
★ Free Guided Tour of the UCSC Farm · 10 to 11:30 AM · Hay Barn, UCSC Farm, 152 Farm Rd · Free, RSVP
The last free tour of the season. The farm's u-pick runs 9 to noon, so bring a card and your phone for the QR checkout.
★ Touch-a-Truck · 10:30 AM to 3:30 PM · Capitola Mall lot, 1855 41st Ave · Free
Fire trucks and cranes up close, and pumpkins dropped from way up at 11:30, 12:30, 1:30, and 2:30.
★ Open Studios, South County · 11 AM to 5 PM, Saturday and Sunday · Live Oak to Watsonville · Free
About 140 artists open their studios. Grab the free guide at a library, a Good Times rack, or use the app. Then follow the green signs. North County follows October 10 and 11.
Alibi Interiors Warehouse Sale · 11 AM to 5 PM · 802 Estates Dr, Suites 102 and 103A, Aptos · Free
Frames on sale, so bring your art and a tape measure.
Gourmet Grazing on the Green · Noon to 4 PM · Aptos Village County Park, 100 Aptos Creek Rd · $107.48, designated drivers $65.87, kids 9 and under free
More than 60 local restaurants, wineries, and breweries, for cancer charities. Park at Cabrillo's Lot K and take the shuttle.
★ Downtown Harvest Festival · Noon to 4 PM · Lot 16 at Church St, behind the Downtown Library · Free entry
Carnival games and live music, raising money for the farmers market's Market Match program.
★ Santa Cruz Porchfest · See Weekend Pick below · Noon to 6 PM · Downtown · Free
★ Scotts Valley Multicultural Fair · Noon to 4 PM · Skypark, 361 Kings Village Rd, Scotts Valley · Free
Dancers on the lawn and international food.
Framed Cyanotype Workshop · Two-hour sessions at noon and 2 PM · Redwood & Ranunculus, 6257 Highway 9, Felton · $85
Make sun prints from fresh flowers, then frame one to take home. Few seats.
Dreaming with the Dahlias · 3 to 6 PM · Beeline Blooms, 220 Stephens Lane, Ben Lomond · $125, limited to 16
Meditation and journaling in the dahlia field, then you cut a bouquet to take home in a vase.
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 4
★ Surfrider Beach Cleanup-a-thon · 9 to 11 AM · Rio Del Mar State Beach, Aptos · Free, sign up first
The weekend's second cleanup.
Pottery & Glass Seconds Sale · 10 AM to 2 PM · Cabrillo College, top level of the parking garage, 6500 Soquel Dr, Aptos · Free to browse
More than 50 pro potters, glass artists, and jewelers selling seconds. Get there early.
Dip & Drip at Davenport · 11 AM to noon · Davenport Roadhouse, 1 Davenport Ave · $25
Cedar sauna, cold dip at Davenport Beach, repeat. The noon session sold out. Bring a towel.
★ Redwood Realms at Roaring Camp · 11 AM to 7 PM · Roaring Camp, 5401 Graham Hill Rd, Felton · Free, $10 parking
Foam-sword battles and D&D tables under the redwoods.
MONDAY, OCTOBER 5
Board Game Night at the Cruz Room · 6 to 8 PM · 1520 Mission St, Westside · Free
Local co-designer Jeremy Parker runs a playtest of his game Catfish at 6:30.
BlackBox Ensemble at UCSC · 7 PM · UCSC Music Center Recital Hall, 400 McHenry Rd · Free, first come
A New York new-music group starts a year at UCSC with Morton Feldman.
Have a listen: BlackBox Ensemble ↗
Taqueria Los Viejones · 736 Water St
Maria Alvarez and her husband, chef Fernando Morales, have run Los Viejones as a taco truck since 2020, and they just opened their first dining room on Water Street. The corn tortillas get pressed every day on an heirloom press the family brought from Mexico. Get the quesabirrias and dunk them in the consommé, and save the menudo for a weekend, the only days they make it. Open daily, 9 AM to 11 PM.
Santa Cruz Porchfest · Saturday, October 3 · Noon to 6 PM · Downtown Santa Cruz · Free
The first Porchfest puts more than 50 acts on 15 stages around downtown, some on front porches and some at Abbott Square and the MAH. Pull up the map and wander, and catch the sea shanties at Lúpulo at 1:30 or Phreeborn at Abbott Square at 4. The after-party runs until 10. Bring small bills for the tip jars.
Have a listen: Phreeborn ↗
The markets and standing plans that run every week. Hours for the five Santa Cruz Community Farmers Markets are at santacruzfarmersmarket.org.
Tuesday · Felton Farmers Market · 1:30 to 5:30 PM · 120 Russell Ave, Felton
Wednesday · Downtown Santa Cruz Farmers Market · 12:30 to 5 PM · Cedar and Church
Thursday · Boulder Creek Farmers Market · 1:30 to 5:30 PM · Junction Park
Friday · Watsonville Farmers Market · 2 to 9 PM · Peck and Union, Downtown Watsonville
Friday · Mountain Farmers Market · 2:30 to 6:30 PM · 23845 Summit Rd, through October
Saturday · Westside Farmers Market · 9 AM to 1 PM · Mission St Ext and Western Dr
Saturday · Aptos Farmers Market · 8 AM to noon · Cabrillo College, 6500 Soquel Dr
Saturday · Scotts Valley Farmers Market · 8 AM to noon · Graham Plaza, 219 Mount Hermon Rd
Sunday · Live Oak Farmers Market · 9 AM to 1 PM · 15th and East Cliff Dr
Sunday · Humble Sea Brewing · 11 AM to 9 PM · 820 Swift St, Westside · Fog beer and fish and chips, dogs and kids fine, Saturdays too
Refer 7 friends and we will buy you a coffee at Verve. A referral counts once your friend confirms their spot from the email we send them, so tell them to watch for it.
Go find a porch. See you next Tuesday.
- Makena & Price
LOW TIDE LOCAL 🌊
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