Woodies return to the Santa Cruz Wharf Saturday

SANTA CRUZ — Hundreds of woodie-style classic cars, from the rustic to the pristine, will return to the Santa Cruz Wharf Saturday for the 29th annual Woodies on the Wharf car show, which is the largest gathering of woodies in Northern California.

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The iconic car convention began in 1993 when the Santa Cruz Woodies, a part of the National Woodie Club, teamed up with the Santa Cruz Parks and Recreation Department to organize a car show on the Santa Cruz Wharf. At that time, the show included only a few dozen woodies compared to the hundreds that have made their way to the wharf from the around the state in recent years.

For woodie owners, the convention begins before Saturday as they perform their annual paddle out at Pleasure Point on Friday and take over the Ocean Pacific Lodge just a few blocks away from the beach. The classic car caravan will then make its way onto the wharf Saturday morning. Organizers suggest that woodies owners show up early to get a good spot. The official show begins at 10 a.m. and is free to the public.

Woodies owners and automobile lovers from all over the state made their way to Santa Cruz for the 28th annual Woodies on the Wharf car show in 2024. (Aric Sleeper – Santa Cruz Sentinel)

Santa Cruz Woodies merchandise will be available at the event and raffle tickets will be sold with prize drawings happening throughout the show, which will feature live surf music and Hawaiian dance performances.

The city of Santa Cruz stresses that public parking on the wharf is limited. The Santa Cruzer shuttle service will be running Saturday to the wharf from downtown Santa Cruz, picking up at the Locust Street Garage and in front of the Del Mar Theatre. A bike valet service will also be available on the wharf. All shops and restaurants on the wharf will be open during the event.

When the car show ends at 3:30 p.m. Saturday, woodies owners will parade their cars from the wharf and back to the Ocean Pacific Lodge for a tailgate dinner party. They will return for a goodbye cruise down West Cliff Drive to the Santa Cruz Harbor Sunday at 8:30 a.m.

For information, visit santacruzwoodies.com.