Santa Cruz Harbor & Seabright Fall Events: Murray Street Bridge Access

If you have dinner on one side of the Santa Cruz Harbor and sleep on the other, which direction are you driving home?

That question has mattered again since Monday, September 28. The Murray Street Bridge reopened that morning after being fully closed since June 10, but only to one lane of eastbound traffic. Seabright Avenue sits on the west side of the harbor and the East Cliff Drive restaurants sit on the east. A car can make the trip in one direction, while the return trip takes a loop through town. For as long as that setup holds, the westbound crossing runs on routes that never touch that single lane, and the Port District's fall programming treats the harbor as one place anyway.

What the Bridge Carries Now

In its September 14 release, the City explained that the summer closure was timed around the project's permitted in-water work period. Pile driving and pile-cap work are only allowed during that window. With that work finished, construction above the waterline can continue without the large crane that forced the full closure. Crews also finished a new sanitary sewer force main on the north side of the bridge. The City says it serves about 35,000 residents in Santa Cruz and surrounding communities.

Here's how each way of crossing works as of today:

The City expects longer travel times and more congestion on nearby streets, especially along the westbound detour. Two shortcuts underneath the bridge stay closed for a while. The East Harbor Access Road is scheduled to reopen in February 2027. The stairs from Murray Street down to the lower West Harbor are scheduled for May 2027. The West Harbor Access Road remains open.

On foot, then, the bridge works the way it always did. In a car, it works one direction at a time.

The Free Boat Is the Easy Way Back

The Port District runs a free inner-harbor water taxi with three stops: the X-1 Gate, AA Dock and the Launch Ramp. Visitors who come to ride it can park in the north harbor near X Dock. The service normally runs on summer weekends and holidays. The Port updates its calendar month to month as extended hours are confirmed, and October has service on the books. The first October weekend lists Friday, October 2, from 3 to 7 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday, October 3 and 4, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Before the closure, the boat was a pleasant extra. Now, on the evenings it runs, it is the only way west across the harbor that skips both the detour and a walk over the bridge. Check the Port's calendar before counting on it for a particular night, since hours are posted month by month.

Dinner Plans Now Depend on Which Shore You Start From

The Port District's fall roster shows how much sits on each shore.

On Seabright Avenue, La Posta at 538 Seabright posts a weekly menu and serves dinner Wednesday through Sunday. Across the street, Engfer Pizza Works at 537 Seabright offers dine-in and takeout Wednesday through Sunday. Betty Burgers, Java Junction's Seabright shop, Brady's Yacht Club, Day's Market, Seabright Deli, Linda's Seabreeze Café, Tramonti and Verve Coffee Roasters all appear on the Port's lower Seabright list.

On the East Cliff side, Crow's Nest at 2218 East Cliff Drive serves daily and runs a live-entertainment calendar. Café El Palomar operates at 2222 East Cliff Drive. Java Junction's second shop shares that address and stays open until 5:30 p.m. daily. Johnny's Harborside, now under new owners, takes reservations at 493 Lake Avenue, Suite B. Aldo's serves from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekdays and from 8 a.m. on weekends. Its seating is outdoors, so the restaurant warns that weather can delay opening or force an early close.

The one-way bridge has already changed one business's footprint. H&H Fresh Fish opened a second shop, H&H West, at 402 Ingalls Street, Suite 15, after a June 10 soft launch. Its owners told the Santa Cruz Sentinel that bridge construction had made the Harbor shop hard to reach and played a part in the decision to expand. The City has also pointed businesses to help. Its September 14 update listed construction-mitigation loans of up to $50,000 at 4 percent over five years, along with sponsored Chamber memberships and free consulting through the Small Business Development Center. The City also said Seabright and Harbor businesses stayed open and reachable throughout construction.

Harboropoly Counts Receipts From Both Shores

The Port District brought back Harboropoly, its holiday dine-and-shop game, for October 1 through December 31, 2026. The rules suit a split harbor. Any harbor, lower Seabright or lower 7th Avenue business counts, even one that isn't printed on the gameboard. That puts a coffee at Java Junction on East Cliff, a pizza at Engfer and an errand at Deke's Market on lower 7th on the same board.

How it works:

1. Pick up a gameboard at the Harbor Office, at a participating business, or as a download from the Port's site.
2. Keep your receipts. Each business is worth one square per visit, and you can collect squares from several businesses in one day. Free-activity squares come from a stamp at the Harbor Office.
3. Turn in your board, receipts and stamps at the Harbor Office, 135 5th Avenue, by 11:59 p.m. on December 31.
4. The raffle drawing is January 8, 2027.

Prize tiers go by how many squares you fill. Deckhand, at 1 to 5 squares, earns a Harbor keychain for the first 100 entries. First Mate, at 6 to 15, has 12 winners who each get a limited-edition hat and a $50 gift card. Skipper, at 16 to 20, has five winners who get a hat, a $100 gift card and two boat-charter tickets. Captain, at 21 or more, has three winners who get a hat, a $200 gift card, two charter tickets and a 2027 annual harbor parking permit. Next year, while the East Harbor Access Road and the West Harbor stairs are still being finished, that parking permit is the prize with the most everyday use.

The Calendar Through December, Sorted by Shore

The fall events fall on both sides of the harbor, so where you start out still affects how you get there.

• Wednesday Night Sailboat Races, 6:30 to 8 p.m. The season runs through fall and ends in October.
• Weekly trivia at Engfer Pizza Works, on the Seabright side. The next listing is Wednesday, October 7, from 6 to 8:30 p.m.
• Sunday Comedy Nights at Crow's Nest, 9 p.m., on the East Cliff side.
• Haunted Harbor, Saturday, October 24, 3 to 6 p.m., with trick-or-treating at participating Harbor businesses, costumes and candy. A spooky-themed free water taxi runs from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. that day.
• Halloween costume-contest shows at Crow's Nest, Friday, October 30, and Saturday, October 31.
• The 39th annual Lighted Boat Parade, Saturday, December 5, at 5:30 p.m., rain or shine. About 50 decorated power boats and sailboats take part, with hot drinks and snacks at spots in the south harbor.

Viewing the boat parade will work differently this year. Santa Cruz Yacht Club says the route runs through the south harbor between the Murray Street Bridge and the fuel dock. With construction underway, watching from the bridge may not be possible. The club recommends the East Harbor launch ramp and the harbor paths instead, says the lighthouse isn't a good viewing spot, and warns that parking is limited. On the east side, Crow's Nest offers parade viewing from the restaurant and its dockside Beach Market, with Fully Charged playing from 8 to 11 p.m.

That puts the parade's suggested viewing spots on the east shore. From Seabright, a car can use the open eastbound lane to get there. If the bridge is still eastbound-only on December 5, the drive home goes around by 7th Avenue, Soquel Avenue and Seabright Avenue.

If you own a home near the harbor and you're weighing a sale or purchase while harbor access work is scheduled into May 2027, a conversation about timing can help, starting with how buyers will reach your street. Megan Lyng follows these access changes block by block. Let's Connect.

This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.