LBLN Weekend Round-up

Long Beach is a diverse city and there’s always something to do. Long Beach Local News has compiled a list of events you don’t want to miss this weekend.

JULY 8-10

Long Beach Pride Festival is a three-day festival, parade, and teen pride that happens annually each July. The third-largest pride festival and parade in California will feature popular musicians Natalia Jimenez, Paulina Rubio, and Iggy Azalea. The festival will have Long Beach’s Pride’s first-ever roller rink, a silent disco, and a drag make-up station. Tickets for the festival run from $40-$265. To purchase tickets, go here. For more information about this event, visit our website here. 

JULY 8

Rydell’s senior class is back at Musical Theatre West tonight. Grease the Musical is running until July 22. Enjoy your favorite songs from the hit musical from ‘Summer Lovin’ to ‘Hopelessly Devoted’ to ‘Greased Lightning’. The show will be held at the Carpenter Performing Arts Center, located at 6200 E. Atherton St. on the California State University of Long Beach campus. For showtimes, prices and tickets, visit their website here. 

The Long Beach Municipal Band is in its 113th season this year. Concerts are held all summer long and each week has a different theme. This week, the band will be playing songs from popular Broadway musicals.  Long Beach Municipal Band 2022 Summer Concerts- Give My Regards to Broadway is a free event that begins at 6:30 p.m. at El Dorado Park West. 

JULY 9

Big Gay Beach Takeover will take place from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Pride Lifeguard Tower located at 12 Place and Ocean Blvd. The event promotes inclusivity – everyone is welcome and encourages people to be respectful of the beach so be sure to leave the area as clean as you found it.

Long Beach Camerata Singers Front Porch Concert Series began in 2020 to support local artists and keep music alive during the pandemic. The series continued last year and is back for another season. Every concert is free and features four singers accompanied by a piano.  RSVP to the event you’d like to attend and you’ll be added to that contact list. A few days before the concert, you will receive an email with an address for the concert. The event runs from 4:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.

If you have an eye for art and a love of adult beverages, check out the

Barside Paint and Sip Happy Hour Painting Class hosted by Classpop or Mesmerizing Galaxy Abyss from Painting & Vino. Both classes will be held at the Hilton Long Beach at 701 West Ocean Blvd from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m.

LB Vegan Social is back at the Hawk Bar at 468 West Anaheim St. Attendees will enjoy an afternoon of tasty vegan food and sweets, shopping, drinks, and DJs. All ages are welcome but bar seating is strictly 21 and up. 

Making the perfect pie crust is an art and at the Pie Baking Class at the Pie Bar, you will learn to make a delicious peach pie with a lattice crust. The $50 ticket will include admittance, making a whole pie, and bottomless mimosas. The Pie Bar will hold more pie-making classes so if you can’t make this one or just want to perfect your baking skills, keep an eye out for more events. The Pie Bar is located at 450 Pine Ave. The class runs from 7 p.m. – 9. p.m. and parking is free.

If you love all things spooky, Pride or Die: 2nd Annual LGTBQIA+ Horror Pride Event may be for you. It runs from 5:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m. at Rad Coffee’s newest location at 3502 Atlantic Ave.  There will be a mini-marketplace full of horror vendors, limited edition merch, an exclusive drink, and a drag show performance.

JULY 10

We Have No Words is a safe space for those to discuss the recent events surrounding the overturning of Roe V. Wade. Please bring a notebook and writing utensils to participate in the writing and journal prompts. Anyone is welcome to attend but there may be a poetry prompt for those to flex their creative writing skills. This event will be held at Wrigley Coffee located at 436 West Willow Street from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. 

ConVerge is a new all-inclusive Long Beach Pride celebration. A $40 ticket covers a chartered bus ride from the parade to the venue and then back to the festival, a four hours hosted call bar, a drag show, various meal options, drinks, sponsored giveaways, and secured gated parking. The venue is the Historic Bembridge House at 953 North Park Circle Drive.

LB Pride Party at Shenanigans is another part of the Pride celebration this weekend. The no-cover event runs from 1 p.m. – 5 p.m. on the outdoor patio of Shenanigans at 423 Shoreline Drive. There will be special guests and a drag king show. 

Beach Music on the Bay will provide attendees with an afternoon of classic music. The Sonos Chamber will be performing music from various movies at the Marina Pacific Shopping Center from 4:30 p.m. – 6 p.m. in the courtyard next to West Coast Sweat. The event is free but pre-event registration is requested.

This is our weekly weekend round-up that will be posted every Friday. If you or anyone you know is hosting a public event, we’d love to feature it. Please send all information to longbeachlocalnews@gmail.com.

By Casey N. Wilson