Keeping the legend alive, together.
Return to
Santa Carla
SANTA CRUZ · CALIFORNIA · 1986
CALLING ALL LOST BOYS ARTISTS
Submissions close September 18th, 2026.
This October, we’re bringing Lost Boys-inspired fan art to Hotel Paradox, formerly the Holiday Inn, where the cast and crew stayed during filming in Santa Cruz.
We’re looking for original artwork inspired by The Lost Boys, Santa Cruz and the world of Santa Carla.
A Love Letter to Santa Cruz
The film captured Santa Cruz at a very particular moment in time; creative, gritty, rebellious, and completely magnetic.
As a kid growing up in Santa Cruz, the filming of The Lost Boys was one of the defining moments of one unforgettable summer. Suddenly, this strange, beautiful seaside town became the backdrop for something mythic.
For years, I kept coming back to the same question:
How could there not already be a celebration of The Lost Boys in the town where it all happened?
A chance meeting with Jamison Newlander (one of the original Frog Brothers) provided the spark to stop talking about the idea and start building it.
Through the Lost Boys Memory Project and One of Us: A Lost Boys Festival, we're inviting everyone who helped shape this story — or has loved it over the past four decades — to become part of what comes next.
Jennifer Otter Bickerdike - Project founder
One unforgettable summer.
Thousands of stories.
Return to Santa Carla:
The Lost Boys Memory Project
As we approach the 40th anniversary of filming, we're collecting the memories behind one of the most beloved cult films ever made.
Whether you worked on the production, appeared as an extra, watched filming from the Boardwalk, worked in Santa Cruz during the summer of 1986, have photographs tucked away in a drawer, or simply remember Hollywood arriving in town. We'd love to hear your story.
Together we're creating a permanent digital archive celebrating not only the making of The Lost Boys, but also the people and places that brought Santa Carla to life.
THE ARCHIVE WILL INCLUDE
Personal memories & oral histories
Photographs & home movies
Memorabilia & newspaper clippings
Behind-the-scenes accounts
Filming locations & community recollections
One of Us: A Lost Boys Festival
Help Build the Festival
The Memory Project is only the beginning. Alongside the archive, we're creating One of Us: A Lost Boys Festival. An annual celebration in the town where it all began.
Created with original Frog Brother Jamison Newlander, this isn't simply a festival we're organising. It's something we're building together.
Our vision is to create a celebration shaped by the very people who made The Lost Boys so special, from the cast and crew who brought it to life, to the Santa Cruz community who witnessed it, to the fans who have kept its legacy alive for nearly forty years.
The festival will bring together screenings, live conversations, music, special guests, filming locations, exhibitions, immersive experiences, local businesses, artists and community events that honour both the film and the town that inspired it.
Whether you have ideas to share, memorabilia to exhibit, creative skills, business support or sponsorship opportunities, we'd love to hear from you.
ANNIVERSARY
Oct
2026
Santa Cruz, CA
40th anniversary weekend
ANNUAL
2027
coming soon
Annual festival from 2027
Be One of Us
Be part of the journey from the very beginning. Join our community to receive festival updates, behind-the-scenes progress, and opportunities to get involved, along with guest announcements, ticket releases, exclusive stories, and project milestones.
if you want to help, you must feed ..
the inbox.
Every legend begins with a story.
Follow the Journey
Over the coming months we'll be uncovering forgotten photographs, sharing remarkable memories, visiting filming locations, interviewing the people who were there and documenting the creation of One of Us: A Lost Boys Festival from the ground up.
Follow along, share your memories, contribute your ideas and watch Return to Santa Carla grow into a celebration created by — and for — the community that has kept The Lost Boys alive for generations.