New Years Eve Gathering in Gratitude 2026: A Night in the Rainforest

Name: New Years Eve Gathering in Gratitude 2026: A Night in the Rainforest
Location: The 418 Project

Step into the lush, electric atmosphere of a rainforest as we gather in gratitude to welcome 2026 with music, movement, and community magic.

Location

The 418 Project

155 S. River St., Santa Cruz, CA 95060

About This Event

Ring in the New Year at an Artist-Led Jungle Celebration Like No Other!

New Year’s Eve – Gathering in Gratitude 2025: A Night in the Rainforest Tuesday · December 31, 2025 · The 418 Project · Santa Cruz

Step into a lush, dreamlike rainforest and welcome 2026 with an unforgettable evening of live music, aerial performance, immersive art, and community celebration. This year, we’re transforming The 418 Project into a living, breathing jungle filled with rhythm, color, ceremony, and wild collective joy.

Our Rainforest-Powered Lineup

Large Theater Mega-Dance Party Get ready to move, sweat, dance, and celebrate in the heart of our rainforest canopy! The big theater becomes a pulsating jungle dance floor featuring:

8:45 PM – Sambada Santa Cruz’s iconic Afro-Brazilian funk fusion band brings electrifying rhythms, irresistible grooves, and pure, joyful energy. 10:25 pm- Ariealists 11:00 PM – Sitar Power A psychedelic, high-vibration fusion of global beats and sitar magic. This powerhouse ensemble lifts the night into another dimension. Midnight Countdown Welcome 2026 with a rainforest-themed midnight moment led by our charismatic MC, complete with aerial dance, live music, and a collective celebration of gratitude. Aerial Performers Throughout the Night Stunning aerialists will soar overhead, bringing the rainforest canopy to life with movement, beauty, and wonder.

Small Theater Immersion by Liminal Space

Slip away from the dance floor and into a secret rainforest underworld. Liminal Space takes over our small theater with an interactive, dream-like installation — a place to breathe, explore, reflect, and play.

Oasis Lobby: Sip, Savor & Discover

Enjoy festive cocktails and zero-proof tonics, take photos with friends, meet wandering artists, and experience the unexpected.

Celebrate in Community

This is a night for dancers, dreamers, artists, neighbors, and friends — a place where we gather in gratitude, honor the year we’ve lived, and step with intention into the year ahead. Whether you’re here for the dance party, the aerialists, the art, or the transformational vibe, you belong in this rainforest. Let’s ring in 2026 with rhythm, beauty, gratitude, and collective joy. Join us for a night in the rainforest.

Featured Artists & Lineup

4 Artists

SambaDá

Headliner

Santa Cruz iconic Afro-Brazilian funk fusion band bringing electrifying rhythms, irresistible grooves, and pure, joyful energy to the jungle dance floor.

Website Instagram Spotify

Sitar Power feat. Ashwin Batish

Headliner

Psychedelic, high-vibration fusion of global beats and sitar magic lifting the rainforest canopy into another dimension.

Website Instagram

Cloud Mirage Circus

Featured

Stunning aerialists soaring overhead throughout the night, bringing the rainforest canopy to life with acrobatics, wonder, and midnight aerial ceremony.

Website

Liminal Space Collective

Art Installation

Interactive, dream-like rainforest underworld installation in the small theater — an ambient sanctuary to breathe, explore, reflect, and play.

Website

Visiting The 418 Project: What to Expect

House guidelines to ensure a welcoming, inclusive space for everyone

We are committed to a safe, welcoming environment where everyone is treated with cultural and personal respect across all backgrounds and identities. We hold the highest standards for consent—in movement, touch, and conversation. Always check in first, honor boundaries, and ensure that consent is clear, voluntary, and ongoing.

As a community-run non-profit collective with a small staff, we cannot clean everything after every event. Please help us care for the space by picking up after yourself, placing recycling and compost in the bins provided, and treating every room with kindness so it remains welcoming for the next gathering.

We have a filtered water bottle refill station on-site, so feel free to bring a refillable bottle. All restrooms are all-gender, ADA-accessible, and located conveniently on the ground floor.

To ensure everyone can breathe and move comfortably—especially community members with chemical sensitivities and asthma—The 418 Project is a low-fragrance space. Please refrain from applying perfumes, scented colognes, or strongly scented lotions before attending.

As an artist-driven non-profit collective, we believe movement and art should be accessible to all regardless of financial circumstances. Many events feature sliding scale tickets, and we offer work-trade opportunities for community members who wish to volunteer in exchange for admission.

Explore volunteer & work-trade opportunities

Plan Your Visit

Venue & Accessibility

The 418 Project is located in downtown Santa Cruz. We are dedicated to creating an inclusive, accessible, and welcoming space for all dancers, artists, and community members.

Address: 155 S. River St., Santa Cruz, CA 95060

Accessibility: Ground floor entrances & all-gender accessible restrooms

Parking: On-street parking & nearby River Street public garage

Get Directions on Google Maps