Our take on the arts, music and culture scene, from Watsonville to Santa Cruz proper.
WEEKENDER
The Weekender brings together news from the Santa Cruz County arts community and the major (and not-so-major) events and shows to be on the lookout for this weekend.
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Your cheat sheet for eating well and going out this weekend in Santa Cruz County. Sent every Thursday.
UPCOMING ARTS & CULTURE EVENTS
MORE ARTS & CULTURE NEWS
470 empty seats: What happens to Cabrillo College’s original theater now?
For nearly half a century, Cabrillo College’s original theater hosted world-renowned musicians, Hollywood actors and generations of young artists. It has been dark since 2009. Now, amid a shortage of performance…
Made in Santa Cruz: Why Art Matters | Mattie Leeds
“Made in Santa Cruz: Why Art Matters” is a video series, published every other Sunday, exploring the artists who shape Santa Cruz County’s creative landscape. Each episode offers a peek into…
Five years strong — and just getting started.
Celebrate Lookout’s fifth anniversary by joining the community that powers trustworthy local journalism in Santa Cruz County. Your membership gives you unlimited access to every story on our website and app — and fuels the reporting that keeps our community informed, connected and moving forward.
Best of Santa Cruz County entertainment, arts & food events this weekend, Aug. 27-30
With the weekend nearly here, check out things to do around Santa Cruz County, with a recommendation from Lily Belli and a specially curated list from Lookout’s BOLO events calendar.
We fought over it. Now what will we make of our new library in downtown Santa Cruz?
Santa Cruz’s new downtown library and affordable housing project has hardly been without controversy — but after years of debate, the building is rising, writes affordable housing advocate and former mayor…
Dolly Parton, music star, actor and beloved figure who spanned generations, dies at 80
Dolly Parton, the country music icon whose soaring vibrato vocals, poignant songwriting and sparkling costumes defined her rise from a log cabin in the Tennessee mountains to the height of stardom…
Santa Cruz Shakespeare goes big: Eight shows take the stage in 2027
Santa Cruz Shakespeare is going bigger than ever in 2027, with eight productions stretching from spring through winter, including a record four-show summer season. But at a warm gathering in the…
Willie Ito’s incredible journey from a WWII incarceration camp to Disney animation comes to life in ‘Hello, Maggie!’
At 92, legendary animator Willie Ito is still drawing on his childhood experience in a Japanese American incarceration camp to tell stories of hope. The former Disney, Warner Bros. and Hanna-Barbera…
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