WEEKENDER
Your cheat sheet for eating well and going out in Santa Cruz County.
May 28, 2026
BLOCK PARTIES, FOOD TRUCKS & FUNGUS
Despite this random late-spring rain, the weather will be back to its regularly scheduled programming tomorrow, just in time for the return of two popular summer events.
Food Truck Friday launches its season at Skypark in Scotts Valley tomorrow at 5 p.m. with seven local food vendors and live music from the Swag Tones. This monthly event will continue every last Friday of the month through October. In Santa Cruz, Event Santa Cruz’s weekly Midtown Fridays Summer Block Party returns to the lot at 1111 Soquel Ave. with artists and food vendors, and a show by James Durbin and The Lost Boys. Both events are free.
On Sunday, The Humanities Institute at UC Santa Cruz, together with Bookshop Santa Cruz, concludes its monthlong Deep Reads program with A Conversation with Merlin Sheldrake, author of “Entangled Life: How Fungi Make our Worlds, Change our Minds, and Shape our Futures,” at the Quarry Amphitheater. The event includes an hourlong discussion with the New York Times bestselling author and scientist, followed by a book signing. The event is free, and registration is encouraged. – Lily Belli
UPCOMING EVENTS YOU’LL LOVE
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ICYMI: ARTS & DINING STORIES
A TREAT BEFORE YOU GO
Planning on heading to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk this summer? There’s a lot more on offer than corn dogs, turkey legs and funnel cake. A diverse wave of food options includes chicken tikka masala, Nashville hot chicken sandwiches and Cajun boil with andouille sausage and shrimp. Check out my guide to the best eats at the Boardwalk – released last summer – to know where to go. – Lily Belli
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