As we make our way into December and the last few weeks of 2025, Santa Cruz is heralding the holiday season with plenty of ways to celebrate—with something for everyone at every age. From the historic holiday train that takes passengers up into the forest, to parades and live music around the city, Santa Cruz makes it easy to get out and enjoy the beautiful sights and the company of others.
Now hopefully the weather will be good!
Santa Cruz Holiday Season At A Glance
- December 6th: Downtown Holiday Parade
- December 6th: Capitola Village Holiday Cookie Walk
- December 6th: The Lighted Boat Parade
- December 13th: The Winter Art Market
- December 13th: Santa Cruz Symphony Holiday Concert
- December 20th: The Santa Cruz Ballet Premieres The Nutcracker
- December 20th: Winter on the Wharf
Santa Cruz Shakespeare
Much-beloved, Santa Cruz Shakespeare is a company that performs (primarily in the summertime) at the outdoor theater at DeLaveaga Park. Like their name suggests, they put on Shakespeare plays annually, but their repertoire of main productions do include a variety of straight plays and musicals from other playwrights. The 2025 season saw performances of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, "Master Harold"...and the Boys, Into The Woods, and Pericles. Additionally, other nights of the week see special performances and readings.
For the holiday season, Santa Cruz Shakespeare is putting together A Christmas Carol, which will be performed at the Veterans Memorial Hall (at 846 Front Street). Shows are being held almost every day of December, with more performances towards the end of the month. The opening show is December 4th and the closing show is December 24th, with both 2:00 PM and 7:00 PM offered. More information, including tickets, parking, and the cast list, can be found on their website.
The upcoming main productions for 2026 include Fences, Much Ado About Nothing, Macbeth, and more.
Events At The Boardwalk
Every year, the Santa Cruz Boardwalk hosts several family-friendly events—called Boardwalk Winter Wonderland. These include discounted ride tickets, photos with Santa, discounts at the local stores and shops, and more. This year promises light and drone shows (every 15 minutes for the former, between 5:00 PM and 8:00 PM) as well as food, drinks, and other activities.
One of the biggest attractions at the Boardwalk is the Roaring Camp Railroads holiday train, which offers rides for the holidays, Chanukah, and New Year’s. This train ride takes passengers through the city. As an alternative, Roaring Camp also offers a Holiday Tree Walk from Felton to Bear Mountain.
The Boardwalk is also hosting Winter On The Wharf on December 20th, which is a toy drive. Santa as well as Anna and Elsa will be there to take pictures, and other highlights include face painting, holiday decorations, balloons, and more.
New Year’s Eve In Santa Cruz
Live music, performing arts venues, and restaurants across Santa Cruz are hosting various New Year’s Eve celebrations, some with their own themes—and even toddler-friendly early morning/noon event for moms and kids at the Boulder Creek Recreation Center. From the Catalyst to the Crow's Nest, there is a good time to be had for everyone.
And for those who might not have stayed up late the night before (or for those who did and would like to get out anyways!), First Day Hikes are happening across the state celebrating the first of the year. Some of these include:
- Wilder Ranch State Park
- Big Basin Redwoods State Park
- Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park
- The Forest of Nisene Marks State Park
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