University of California - Santa Cruz
- Nightlife

The Catalyst

The Catalyst is the premiere venue for musicians in Santa Cruz, so it features live bands many nights of the week. The main dance hall can hold over 800 people. There is also an atrium that has DJs and dance parties. Upstairs, there is another bar, pool tables, pinball, and shuffleboards. Wednesday nights there is $1 admission and $1 beer. Generally, you have to be 21 to get in. Be warned, they are strict on checking IDs.

Blue Lagoon

The Blue Lagoon has two small dance floors with different DJs playing every night. They cater to a variety of music tastes: hip-hop, top 40, industrial, new wave, ‘80s dance, rock, and brit-pop. You have to be 21 to get in.

99 Bottles of Beer

This bar has happy hour all day Thursdays, trivia nights, karaoke, and 99 different types of beer. There is an abundance of beers on tap making 99 Bottles a popular establishment. Oh yeah, you’ll hear the title song quite a bit.

The Avenue

The Avenue is packed with college students on Wednesday when they serve $4 pitchers of cheap beer. They have a nice deck outside, and lots of pool tables and foosball inside.

Bocci’s Cellar

Bocci’s Cellar is a Santa Cruz historical landmark that has been turned into a fun, upbeat bar and hangout spot. It offers live music seven nights a week, bocce ball tournaments, dancing, darts, ukulele jamming, and fine dining all in a traditional Italian setting.

Ideal Bar and Grill

Overlooking Monterey Bay, West Cliff Drive, and the Santa Cruz Boardwalk, Ideal Bar and Grill offers great food and drinks on its outdoor patio and in its fun indoor atmosphere. Friday nights draw a large crowd for karaoke competitions, and people generally have a good time here.

Moe's Alley

Moe's Alley mainly focuses on live music and a full bar from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. Tuesday through Sunday. Its spacious music hall hosts blues, salsa, rhumba, and reggae performers and is a popular hangout place for musicians and music lovers.

Poet and the Patriot Irish Pub

The Poet is a low-key bar that only serves beer and takes cash. The bar is known for a cold glass of Guinness and a room for playing darts. Drink specials usually occur on Tuesday’s and Thursday’s.

The Red Room

The Red Room serves drinks that are not expensive and has red lighting to really set the mood. It usually fills up pretty quickly on the weekends.

Rosie McCann’s Irish Pub

Rosie’s has good dancing most nights of the week, particularly on weekends. They also serve food there during the day.

The Seabright Brewery

The Seabright Brewery brews their own beer, and they serve it cheap on Tuesday nights.

It’s pretty easy to find stuff to do if you are under 21. House parties and dorm parties are popular, and some of the local clubs including The Catalyst offer 18-and-over nights. If you want to party, you can always find one, but many under-21 students head downtown and catch one of the various midnight movies or hang out at one of Santa Cruz’s coffee shops.