Weekdays are easier for traffic.Although the traditional memorial day Aptos music festival has died, check local venues on line, if you like live music. Spend the daylight hours outside. Downtown Santa Cruz is not good past 9PM, because of the street trolls. Early mornings are great outdoors, so make the most of your time.

I live right above the boardwalk and usually take a blanket down in the morning and set up on the sand right outside of the limit ropes as do many locals or you can wait until 4:30 and go into the concert area to set up again on the sand . The shows are 6:30 and 8:30 . You can also wait till 8 and just fill in and empty spot as some of the 6:30 attendees will be leaving .

Have you tried atoolshed online?