A successful summer of events in Downtown is already building anticipation for next year’s exciting lineup of events. This summer’s DLBA-sponsored events featured historic business participation and large crowds enjoying music, art, food and incredible weather with Downtown Long Beach providing a memorable backdrop. Survey data and financial results from the event series confirm these successes in increased revenue, attendee satisfaction and wider exposure for Downtown Long Beach.
“People are starting to notice that there’s a strong sense of community here in Downtown Long Beach,” said Nalysia Tea, Special Events Coordinator for DLBA.
Due to popular demand and continued success, 2019’s summer events will return in 2020.
Here are some of the events people can look forward to in 2020:
Taste of Downtown
Taste of Downtown showcases Downtown’s culinary culture, where restaurants throughout DTLB come to a single place to offer patrons sample-sized portions of some of their best dishes, taking place in May, June and August in different Downtown LB locations – East Village Arts District, Pine Avenue, and the Waterfront.
Dates:
Taste of Downtown East Village: May 27 & May 28
Taste of Downtown Pine Avenue: June 24 & June 25
Taste of Downtown Waterfront: August 26 & August 27
Click here for pictures from the 2019 Taste of Downtown Waterfront
Pow!Wow! Closing Party with KCRW
To wrap up an amazing week of the POW!WOW! Mural Festival, the POW! WOW! Long Beach closing party will be back in full KCRW Summer Nights dance party form with KCRW DJs and the best food, drinks and shopping Downtown LBC has to offer. The exact date is still to be determined, but you can click here to view pictures of the 2019 event.
Summer and Music (SAM) with KCRW Summer Nights
Heading into its 12th year, Summer And Music (SAM) is Downtown Long Beach’s homegrown concert series, providing an entire summer of free music to the public. Produced by the Downtown Long Beach Alliance (DLBA), SAM has been voted OC Weekly’s “Best Music Festival” three times in a row.
For the first time SAM partnered with KCRW this year to bring Summer Nights to Buskerfest. SAM is planning on continuing the partnership with KCRW Summer Nights for the 2020 season. Event dates are still to be determined, but you can learn more about SAM and view event updates at www.summerandmusic.com.
Live After 5ive
Live After 5 takes place on the Third Thursday of every month (April-October) from 5pm – 9pm. The monthly event is a free, family and pet-friendly event that highlights downtown neighborhoods, bringing live music, art activations, entertainment and opportunities for community engagement throughout. You can learn more about Live After 5ive here.
Upcoming Live After 5ive Events:
Thursday, May 21, 2020
Thursday, June 18, 2020
Thursday, July 16, 2020
Thursday, August 20, 2020
Thursday, September 17, 2020
Thursday, October 15, 2020
Last Season’s Successes Provide Momentum for the Upcoming Season
Due to the success of the partnership with KCRW, there are plans to continue the partnership in 2020. KCRW and Downtown Long Beach, both eclectic, stylish and progressive entities, were a great fit. The DLBA is looking forward to continuing collaboration with KCRW for summer 2020 events.
“This year’s partnership with KCRW brought an exciting new energy Downtown, and serves as a testament of things to come,” said Rand Foster, owner of Fingerprints Music and co-founder of Buskerfest.
Close to 70% of attendees at all three Taste of Downtown events rated their experience as a “10.”
The Bicycle Drive-In, which featured a screening of the film “Big Fish” under the stars, fared just as well, earning an average rating of 9.69 out of 10 by all attendees.
With increases in revenue and new sponsorships, DLBA hopes to move closer to making each summer event self-sustainable, making sure every event has a positive impact on Downtown and the City of Long Beach in general.
While there is much excitement for the upcoming Summer season, there are a few Downtown Long Beach sponsored events remaining in 2019 that should not be missed:
Shop Small Saturday
Support local #DTLB businesses! Downtown Long Beach’s Shop Small Saturday will kick off the holiday season right. There will be a variety of activities: entertainment, crafts and themed holiday food & drinks.
Attendees can pick up a map and can catch the free trolleys, which will stop at various locations in Downtown to shop and dine at all of the great businesses. With over 30 businesses participating, there will be lots of specials going on all day and throughout the holiday season. Click here to learn more about Shop Small Saturday.
Date: 11/30/2019
Time: 5pm-7pm
Location: Downtown Long Beach
UNFILTERED Artist Gallery Reception
Join the Arts Council for Long Beach and the DLBA for the 3rd Annual DTLB UNFILTERED Art Gallery. The official opening of the gallery will begin on Saturday, December 14th at Fingerprints Music. Please join us on opening night from 5pm to 9pm to celebrate all of the finalists with light refreshments and live entertainment.
Date: 12/14/2019
Time: 5pm-7pm
Location: Fingerprints Records
New Year’s Eve at the Waterfront
This free family-friendly celebration runs from 5pm-10:30pm at Rainbow Harbor. At 9 p.m., the sky will light up for an East Coast countdown with a fireworks spectacular from Rainbow Harbor’s lighthouse peninsula! The amphitheater will come alive with a flurry of activities for kids and adults.
Date: 12/21/2019
Time: 5pm-10:30pm
Location: At the end of Pine Ave. at the Harbor (Rainbow Harbor Esplanade)
To view upcoming events visit the DLBA Events page. You can also get event text alerts by texting DLBAEVENTS to 990-00.