Roaring Camp Starlight Dinner Party (2026): Dates, Tickets & What to Expect
Published: September 21, 2026
By: Adam Burns
Felton’s Roaring Camp Railroads sells the Santa Cruz Starlight Evening Dinner Party as a night out with a train wrapped around it: board the Beach Train at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, ride up to Roaring Camp, eat barbecue and dance to a live band, then ride back to the Boardwalk after dark. The meal is at camp, not in a dining car. A second 2026 party, the Moonlight Steam Train Dinner Party, starts with barbecue at Roaring Camp and then takes the narrow-gauge steam train up Bear Mountain. The published 2026 Starlight dates have already run. Moonlight still lists September 26.
Dining aboard the Roaring Camp Railroads. Roaring Camp hoto.
About Roaring Camp
Roaring Camp is two railroads from one Felton base at 5401 Graham Hill Road. The narrow-gauge Roaring Camp & Big Trees line climbs through redwoods to Bear Mountain. The standard-gauge Santa Cruz Beach Train runs down the San Lorenzo to the Boardwalk. F. Norman Clark built the narrow-gauge operation for excursions; the beach line is the old Southern Pacific Felton branch. Daytime steam and beach rides are the 2026 scenic guide. This page is only the evening dinner parties.
Related: California dinner trains · National dinner hub
2026 Starlight and Moonlight — At a glance
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Product | Santa Cruz Starlight Evening Dinner Party. Companion: Moonlight Steam Train Dinner Party |
| Location | Starlight boards at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk and eats at Roaring Camp, Felton. Moonlight boards at 5401 Graham Hill Road, Felton |
| 2026 dates | Starlight: June 13, July 11, August 22, September 12. Moonlight: June 27, July 25, September 6, September 26. As of this revision only September 26 is still ahead |
| Duration | Evening party. Listings have run about 5:30–10:00 p.m. Confirm the ticket |
| Meal | Barbecue at Roaring Camp, with a live band. Vegetarian options have been posted. This is not a plated meal in a dining car |
| Typical fares | Confirm on roaringcamp.com. Do not use older third-party prices |
| Official site | roaringcamp.com |
Dates and fares change. Confirm on the railroad before you book. Information compiled September 21, 2026.
What the evening is like
Starlight is the beach-to-redwoods version. You ride the Beach Train inland, get off at Roaring Camp for dinner and dancing, and the return ticket is the ride back to the Boardwalk under the stars. The railroad’s own line is “ride, dine, and dance.” Older California dinner-hub copy that described a steak served on the train does not match the 2026 party.
Moonlight stays in the redwoods. Barbecue is at Roaring Camp, then the Redwood Forest steam train goes up to Bear Mountain for music and a campfire. One September 2026 listing named Natalie Cressman and Ian Faquini on September 6, Elliott Peck and Scott Law on the September 12 Starlight, and the Nels Andrews Trio on September 26. Bands change. Read the date you buy.
Tickets & practical
- Booking: roaringcamp.com. These are a handful of Saturdays, not a weekly dinner train
- Station / parking: Starlight starts at the Beach Boardwalk. Moonlight and the camp meal are at 5401 Graham Hill Road, Felton. Allow time on Graham Hill Road on a Saturday evening
- Age / alcohol: Family tickets have been sold. Beer and wine have been offered at the party from a local winery and cider maker. Confirm the current bar rules on the ticket
- Holiday Lights, Harvest Faire, and daytime steam are other Roaring Camp products. Holiday Lights is the Christmas page
Related reading on American-Rails.com
Always verify 2026 dates, menus, and prices on the railroad’s official site. American-Rails.com does not sell tickets.
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