Church Street Fair

The 24th annual Church Street Fair in downtown Santa Cruz is two days of free live performances on the Center Street Stage, taking in the best of world music, dance, opera and more. A collaboration between the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium and The Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music, which kicks-off its 53rd season on Opening Night on August 7. The Church Street Fair will also feature arts and crafts, local food, beer and wine tastings and kids activities throughout the weekend. The complete lineup for the Center Street Stage is below:

SATURDAY, AUGUST 8

11:15 a.m. Gamelan Anak Swarasanti - Traditional and contemporary Balinese gamelan orchestra music performed on the angklung.

12:15 p.m. Santa Cruz Ballet Theatre - Ballet performance featuring young dancers and burgeoning ballerinas.

1:00 p.m. AZA-Mohamed & Fattah - A Moroccan-born vocal and instrumental duo present folkloric material from both Amazigh and Arabic music traditions.

2:15 p.m. Samba Cruz Trio - A local favorite, the ensemble performs Brazilian music styles from sambas to bossa novas, baiao, choro and more.

3:15 p.m. Shakti Bhakti Ensemble - A performance of Odissi classical Indian dance, characterized by its fluid gestures and intricate footwork.

4:15 p.m. Domu Africa - West African percussion and vocals from the Griot traditions of Senegal.

5:15 p.m. Flor de Cana - High-energy Caribbean dance music, including Cuban Son and Colombian Cumbia.

6:30 p.m. Pure Roots - This powerful reggae band stands out for its distinctive heavy-hitting bass lines, melodic grooves, and lively horn section.

SUNDAY, AUGUST 9

11:30 a.m. Little Opera - Students and adults perform an original opera entirely written, composed and designed by San Francisco elementary and middle school students. "I'm in the Mirror," follows the adventures of a cursed family, and one girl's quest to break a tragic cycle.

12:15 p.m. El Sistema Santa Cruz - Gault Elementary School children sing and perform on recorders, violins, and xylophones; an inspired demonstration of music's power to create joy and transform lives.

1:00 p.m. Free Family Concert (inside the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium) - It starts with a Tour of the Orchestra! Then Marin Alsop and the Cabrillo Festival Orchestra perform the wildly popular musical murder mystery, "The Composer is Dead", narrated by composer Nathaniel Stookey.

2:30 p.m. Watsonville Taiko - This ancient Japanese drumming tradition brings together rhythm, movement and harmony in traditional and contemporary works.

3:30 p.m. Te Hau Nui Hula & Tahitian Dance - Sacred and festive dances of Hawai'i, Tahiti, and New Zealand convey the beauty and power of Polynesian dance.

4:15 p.m. Crooked Road Céilí Band - An Irish-American folk music trio performs traditional Irish melodies and dance music on hammered dulcimer, fiddle, tenor banjo, mandolin, guitar, and bodhran.

5:15 p.m. Coffis Brothers & Mountain Men - A performance by this five man band featuring rock and roll in the most classic sense-melodic, rootsy and heartfelt.

6:30 p.m. Ashwin Batish & His Sitar Power Ensemble - A globally renowned pioneer of worldbeat music, master sitar player Ashwin Batish and his band merge Indian classical music with Western electronica.