For anyone tired of house music, Kuumbwa Jazz Center (320-2 Cedar St, Santa Cruz. 831.427.2227) is a venue with musicians straight from the top shelf. For anyone tired of paying pricey cover fees, every month or so a show is selected for a magical evening of half-price student tickets. Oct. 11 is the next occasion (50 percent off the door price of $23) and will feature the musical talents of Triveni: trumpeter Avishai Cohen, Omer Avital and Nasheet Waits.
The Santa Cruz County Symphony (www.santacruzsymphony.org; 831.420.5260) is starting discounted student tickets at $14.50 for evening shows. Although subject to availability, students will pay only $10 by bringing a valid Student ID to the Civic Box Office on performance day, 6:30-7:30pm, or to the Mello Box Office in Watsonville, 12:30-1:30pm.
For those who can’t get enough drama in their lives, Santa Cruz’s Jewel Theatre Company (www.jeweltheatre.net; 831.454.1143) takes $5.50 off general admission for anyone with a valid student ID. For a good day trip, Carmel’s Pacific Repertory Theatre (www.pacrep.org; 831.622.0100) is the only professional theatre troupe on the Monterey Peninsula to offer a substantial student discount for every performance. In addition, many concerts and plays on the UCSC campus are discounted for students, such as the November student production In the Waves.
And if your eyeballs are starting to melt from too much Internet TV, save some money on laser surgery and feast them on stationary images. The $3 student entry fee for the Museum of Art and History (705 Front St, Santa Cruz. 831.429.1964) is waived completely the first Friday of every month, and the Felix Kulpa Gallery (107 Elm St, Santa Cruz. 831.373.2854) is free every day. The Santa Cruz Surfing Museum (701 West Cliff Dr, Santa Cruz. 831.420.6289) is also no charge, and the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History (1305 East Cliff Dr, Santa Cruz. 831.420.6115) is free every first Thursday of the month.
Most people will have a lifetime to party and procrastinate, but student discounts can’t last forever and should be taken advantage of. When graduation brings culture and travel on the cheap to a sad and crushing end, eventual membership in the over-55 bracket will be the last ray of light in a shockingly full-price world.
