New Years Eve Gathering in Gratitude 2026: A Night in the Rainforest at The 418 Project – Santa Cruz, CA

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.