Santa Cruz County Parks

Community Events

More than providing residents with venues for fun, play and celebration, community events create opportunities for participants to become connected to their community! There are major events held throughout the year along with free swim days, outdoor movie nights and more!

County Parks Community Events Calendar

County Parks Community Events

Splash with Santa

Get into the holiday spirit with 20 local artists and vendors, musical and dance performances, food trucks, free recreation swim, and a visit from Santa!

Splash with Santa
Saturday, December 2nd
12pm - 4pm
Simpkins Family Swim Center
FREE entry!

Open House Events

Santa Cruz County Parks has four venues perfect for weddings, family gatherings, parties, and fundraisers! Tour the venues and explore all your event possibilities at our Open House Events!

  • Thursday, December 21st 4:30pm - 6:30pm at the Highlands House and Quail Hollow Ranch

Artist of the Year Award

Over the last 34 years, the County of Santa Cruz Arts Commission has selected outstanding artists nominated by the public and honored them through the Artist of the Year Award. The award recognizes artists for outstanding achievement in the disciplines of performing, visual, or literary arts.

July is Parks & Recreation Month

Join us at Santa Cruz County parks, beaches, trails and programs to celebrate Parks Make Life Better Month. Challenge yourself to visit the more than 60 parks, beaches and coastal access points County Parks has to offer! But first, mark your calendars for the activities listed on this page - all FREE, and designed just for YOU!

Parks & Rex Dog Pool Party

Everyone will have a blast at this end-of-summer summer celebration with great food, music, and fun in the pool for adults, children, and your dog, too! Join Santa Cruz County Parks Department and the Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter for the Annual Parks & Rex Pool Party FUNdraiser at the Simpkins Family Swim Center. All proceeds will benefit County Parks youth programs and Animal Shelter programs.

Floating Pumpkin Patch at Simpkins Family Swim Center

Hop in the pool with your kiddos and begin your hunt for that perfect Halloween pumpkin!

Movie Nights at the Parks

Join us for family-friendly movie nights under the stars this summer and fall. Family Movie Nights is a series of free outdoor movie events. Movies begin at dusk. Low back chairs, blankets and jackets recommended. No alcohol, please. Come early and bring a picnic to enjoy.

Poetry and Music in the Park

Bring a picnic lunch to enjoy and a blanket to sit on while listening to live music and hearing local poets read from their work. All ages are welcome to attend this free series is hosted by County Parks and 2023 - 2024 Santa Cruz County Poet Laureate Farnaz Fatemi.  Musicians will play before and after the poets read. More details.

Free Swim Days at Simpkins Family Swim Center

Splash around with friends and family at the Simpkins Family Swim Center! Free swim days occur annually and are sure to cool you off and connect you to our community.

Community Meetings

County Parks is committed to providing safe, well-designed and maintained parks to our diverse community.  Visit the Current Projects page to learn more about our projects and meetings.

Next Community Meeting: North Coast Management Plan
Thursday, November 30th
5:30pm - 7pm
Pacific Elementary School and Zoom
Details

 

Register for Community Events

Some events require prior registrations so we can plan accordingly. Thank you for registering!

How to Register Online
  • Create an account on ActiveNet.
  • Navigate to Community Events.
  • Select your desired program.
  • Register and complete payment.
  • Thank you for choosing to participate in County Parks programs!
Accessibility

County Parks strives to make our programs accessible to all individuals and will make reasonable accommodations to ensure accessibility to individuals needing such assistance. If you have accessibility requests or concerns and would like more information and support, please give us a call at (831) 454-7941.

Contact Us

Phone:

(831) 454-7901 (General)

(831) 454-7941 (Registrations)

Monday – Friday 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM, except holidays

Email:

parksinfo@scparks.com (General)

rec@scparks.com (Registrations)

Our physical office is open, but staff availability is limited.