Hundreds of UC Santa Cruz students converged on Pacific Avenue in downtown Santa Cruz on a warm and sunny Friday as business and university leaders welcomed Slugs back to campus and the community during the fourth annual Downtown Day.
The atmosphere downtown was lively as students lined up to grab one of 300 welcome bags (which were gone within the first 15 minutes) stuffed with swag from local businesses, did the Sammy Slug Scavenger Hunt, shopped at sidewalk sales, enjoyed street musicians and vendors, applied for jobs, and ended up at the Museum of Art & History for a rally and prize drawing.
The event—a joint effort by UC Santa Cruz, the Downtown Association of Santa Cruz, the City of Santa Cruz Economic Development, and the Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History—introduces new students and welcomes returning ones to the city's main business, tourism, and entertainment district.
"We hope Downtown Day gives UCSC students an opportunity to explore downtown and discover businesses that they will want to return to," said Shiri Gradek, director of marketing and events for the Downtown Association of Santa Cruz. "We want them to feel like downtown belongs to them and that they are part of the Santa Cruz community."
Student Joshua Acosta (John R. Lewis '25, computer science/game design) was soaking in that experience and appreciating the surroundings.
"It kind of gives you that small-town vibe," he said of downtown. "Everything's connected, you can see that people are putting a lot of effort into what they're selling. Even the street performers, it feels higher notch than usual."
Creating community
The light-hearted afternoon is an opportunity for students to connect with downtown Santa Cruz and be welcomed to their new home, said Audries Blake, UC Santa Cruz associate director of community relations."It's a chance to bring students downtown to experience the business community, the restaurants, the beauty of downtown Santa Cruz," Blake said. "So they're familiar with downtown, they get a chance to experience exciting things, and they feel like, 'This is my community.'"
The goal of Downtown Day is to show new students everything that downtown has to offer, said Josie Buchanan (Merrill '17, anthropology), economic development coordinator in the Santa Cruz Economic Development Department.
"Because UCSC is a remote and beautiful campus, it isn't uncommon for students to not make it downtown immediately after beginning college," Buchanan said. "Downtown Day is an event for the City of Santa Cruz and the Downtown Association to welcome students to downtown and give them a fun and social way to explore."
Coming to Downtown Day was an easy decision for Tori Norlie (Cowell '28, film and digital media), who was there with a group of new friends from Cowell and Stevenson colleges.
"I don't have any Friday classes, and I also heard there was free stuff, so I was excited for that as a college student now—to take advantage of all the opportunities," said Norlie.
She even got her roommate interested.
"My roommate Tori was really excited about the swag bags, and she got me really excited," said Keri James (Cowell '28, environmental science). "The energy she was bringing—I got pumped! And I really love scavenger hunts."
Downtown Day wrapped up this year's Welcome Week, in which new and returning students acclimated to campus and the Santa Cruz area, and began the fall quarter. They did a "Target Takeover" at the Target store in Capitola, took a class photo, and got a chance to meet each other through fun events including the Boardwalk Frolic, the annual Cornucopia fair, and a movie at Quarry Amphitheater.
In addition, the university expects to host about 5,000 family members when it hosts Family Weekend November 1–3, 2024, bringing more visitors, attention, and economic activity to downtown and the greater Santa Cruz community.
Downtown and gown
Downtown Santa Cruz business leaders are excited for the return of students and the liveliness and economic activity they bring."UC Santa Cruz students are future customers of downtown businesses and are a vital part of our local economy," said Gradek. "Many shop, eat, and live downtown."
According to the 2019 UCSC Economic Impact Report, in 2017, the UCSC campus's economic impact on the Santa Cruz County area was nearly $1.3 billion overall. That included the direct spending of the university of $411.4 million as well as the additional indirect and induced economic impact of $879 million.
Students have a number of ways to make the most of downtown, no matter their interests, said Buchanan.
"Getting downtown from campus is so easy—either by jumping on a Metro bus or taking a BCycle e-bike," she said. "From there students can catch up on their reading at one of our many local coffee or book shops, grab lunch, or shop at one of our local boutiques, and stay into the evening to go to our local art museum, catch some live music, or explore the nightlife."
Businesses participating in Downtown Day welcomed students with "We Love Banana Slugs" window decals.
Sockshop & Shoe Company was part of the scavenger hunt and was holding a sidewalk sale. Sales associate Sapphire Pendragon was excited the students are back and hoped they stumbled upon discoveries and serendipitous moments as they explored downtown.
"I hope they find some stores or businesses they didn't know about previously, maybe they find a restaurant they really like," Pendragon said. "There are a lot of hole-in-the-walls downtown, and it's good to find places you didn't know existed."
The scavenger hunt highlighted some popular downtown businesses including Pacific Cookie Company, Crossroads Trading, Bookshop Santa Cruz, and Woodstock's Pizza Santa Cruz. Raffle prizes included coupons, pens, notebooks, graphic novels, lotus lights, and stickers.
