What's on in Santa Cruz, California (Santa Cruz), United States through the year

Peak crowds — Christmas and New Year, Winter / Christmas break in United States

Nothing new starts in January.

Still on: Monarch butterflies (15 Oct – 15 Feb (usually)), Winter swell season (1 Nov – 31 Mar (usually)), Gray whale migration (15 Dec – 15 Apr (usually)), Christmas and New Year (24 Dec – 1 Jan)

Shoulder season — an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in February.

Still on: Monarch butterflies (15 Oct – 15 Feb (usually)), Winter swell season (1 Nov – 31 Mar (usually)), Gray whale migration (15 Dec – 15 Apr (usually))

Busy — Spring break in United States

Nothing new starts in March.

Still on: Winter swell season (1 Nov – 31 Mar (usually)), Gray whale migration (15 Dec – 15 Apr (usually))

Shoulder season — an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in April.

Still on: Gray whale migration (15 Dec – 15 Apr (usually))

Peak crowds — Boardwalk summer season, Memorial Day weekend

• Season

  Summer fog

  15 May – 31 Aug · usuallyFog season

  The marine layer comes in overnight and usually clears by late morning, which is why the beach fills after noon rather than at breakfast. Over the hill in the valley it is twelve degrees warmer. Source ↗

• Season

  Boardwalk summer season

  23 May – 7 Sep · usuallySummer season opensCrowded

  The old wooden coaster and the rest of the seafront run daily from Memorial Day to Labor Day, with free bands on the beach on summer Friday evenings. Parking is the whole difficulty. Source ↗

• Holiday

  Memorial Day weekend

  23–25 MayNational holidayCrowdedBook early

  Memorial Day, the last Monday of May, opens the summer travel season: over the long weekend campsites and lodging book out, roads are slow, and parking at the most popular spots fills early in the day. Source ↗

Peak crowds — Boardwalk summer season, Summer break in United States

Nothing new starts in June.

Still on: Summer fog (15 May – 31 Aug (usually)), Boardwalk summer season (23 May – 7 Sep (usually))

Peak crowds — Boardwalk summer season, Wharf to Wharf race

• Festival

  Wharf to Wharf race

  23–28 Jul · usuallySporting eventCrowdedClosures

  Six miles of coast road to Capitola on the fourth Sunday in July, with bands the length of the course and a field that sells out in minutes. The coast highway shuts for the morning. Source ↗

Still on: Summer fog (15 May – 31 Aug (usually)), Boardwalk summer season (23 May – 7 Sep (usually))

Peak crowds — Boardwalk summer season, Summer break in United States

• Holiday

  Labor Day weekend

  5–7 SepNational holidayCrowdedBook early

  Labor Day, the first Monday of September, is the last big getaway of summer: the long weekend books out campsites and lodging and fills parking early, and families thin out quickly once it has passed. Source ↗

Still on: Summer fog (15 May – 31 Aug (usually)), Boardwalk summer season (23 May – 7 Sep (usually))

Peak crowds — Boardwalk summer season, Labor Day weekend

Nothing new starts in September.

Still on: Boardwalk summer season (23 May – 7 Sep (usually)), Labor Day weekend (5–7 Sep)

Shoulder season — an ordinary month

• Nature

  Monarch butterflies

  15 Oct – 15 Feb · usuallyWildlife season

  Tens of thousands of monarchs cluster in the eucalyptus grove at Natural Bridges from mid-October, hanging in a shape that looks like dead leaves until the sun hits them. Numbers swing wildly year to year. Source ↗

Busy — Thanksgiving break in United States

• Season

  Winter swell season

  1 Nov – 31 Mar · usuallySurf seasonRisk

  North Pacific swells light up Steamer Lane and the reefs along West Cliff, and the cliff path becomes a grandstand. This is the cold, serious half of the surf year, not the learning half.

Still on: Monarch butterflies (15 Oct – 15 Feb (usually))

Peak crowds — Christmas and New Year, Winter / Christmas break in United States

• Nature

  Gray whale migration

  15 Dec – 15 Apr · usuallyWhale season

  Grays pass the bay heading south in midwinter and back north with calves into April, often within sight of the cliffs. Humpbacks work the deep canyon offshore for much of the rest of the year.

• Holiday

  Christmas and New Year

  24 Dec – 1 JanChristmas & New YearClosuresCrowded

  Christmas Day and New Year's Day are federal holidays: on 25 December most shops, museums and many restaurants close, and airports stay busy through the week between as families travel. New Year's Eve fills bars and restaurants, many at set-menu prices. Source ↗

Still on: Monarch butterflies (15 Oct – 15 Feb (usually)), Winter swell season (1 Nov – 31 Mar (usually))