Autumn is on its way, bringing a touch of mystery as it heralds the start of the holiday season. Check out these Downtown fall festivals! Each of them has its own way of enhancing the autumnal atmosphere, so read up and make plans to partake with your family and friends.
SPOOKTACULAR BAZAAR & MOVIE NIGHT / SEPT. 13 AT QUEEN MARY EVENT PARK
Photo Courtesy of Spooktacular Bazaar & Movie Night
Here’s your invitation to watch scary movies, shop for eerie Halloween decor, and get a preview of the notorious Dark Harbor Halloween event at the Queen Mary — on Friday the 13th, no less! For just $10 you’ll have access to a carefully curated assortment of vendors for spooky shopping, live music that will add to the haunting vibes, an assortment of sweet and savory foods, photo ops with terrifying Dark Harbor characters, and a perfect pre-Halloween double feature: Nightmare Before Christmas and Labyrinth! For tickets and full event details — including info on the Ultimate Movie Package that includes champagne, movie snacks and your own couch that seats up to four, click here.
COASTAL COUNTRY JAM / SEPT. 21 & 22 AT MARINA GREEN PARK
Photo Courtesy of Coastal Country Jam
Get some sand in your boots while enjoying the music of A-list country music stars at the west coast’s biggest beachside country music festival! This year’s Coastal Country Jam, headlined by Thomas Rhett and Jason Aldean, offers a weekend of live music and a full plate of country-flavored attractions. Work up your appetite while line dancing, riding a mechanical bull, axe throwing, and playing cornhole with your fellow buckaroos. Then you can indulge in some world-class BBQ at the Smoke Show and sip your favorite adult beverage at the Cactus Cantina or the Whiskey Barrel Saloon. Ride the ferris wheel after dark and watch an awe-inspiring drone show! This festival is packed with country fun. For detailed info on festival activities, music lineups, and to get your tickets, click here.
QUEEN MARY’S DARK HARBOR / SEPT. 20 – NOV. 2
Photo Courtesy of Queen Mary’s Dark Harbor
The massive Halloween festival Dark Harbor has become legendary for its carnival rides, hordes of roaming monsters, haunted mazes, eerily themed bars and eateries, and immersive attractions guaranteed to provide scary thrills and photo opportunities! The festival, which takes place aboard the Queen Mary and throughout the surrounding harbor, will happen on select nights from September 20 through November 2. Experience a number of scream-worthy mazes (some of them host secret speakeasies), be dazzled by fire dancers, magicians, and various sideshow performers, and test your courage on the Sinister Swings and the Rampage Double Wheel rides! There is SO much happening during this festival; Click here for full details and to get your tickets.
DIA DE LOS MUERTOS PARADE & ARTE Y OFRENDAS FESTIVAL / NOV. 2 AT PINE AVENUE & RAINBOW LAGOON
Photo Courtesy of The City of Long Beach
The City of Long Beach, in coordination with the First District City Council office, is proud to present the 9th Annual Dia de Los Muertos (Day of the Dead) Celebration on Saturday, November 2. Bring the whole family and enjoy the beautiful traditions and culture surrounding this holiday, which originated in Mexico and Latin America to honor the memory of departed loved ones. More information about the parade and festival will be available as the holiday draws closer. Local businesses, nonprofit organizations, and community groups interested in being part of the parade can apply here through Friday, October 18.
DREAMSTATE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA / NOV. 22 & 23 AT THE QUEEN MARY WATERFRONT
Photo Courtesy of Dreamstate
Trance music, roughly defined as a cross between techno and house, is loved worldwide for its energizing beats, uplifting melodies, and its ability to calm and de-stress the mind! Dreamstate is a colossal trance festival that will keep you feeling great all weekend as you groove to turntable legends like Armin Van Buuren and Paul Van Dyk along with DOZENS more trance DJs! They’ll be rocking you from four mind-blowing stages (see photos from last year’s Dreamstate here). Party all weekend with kindred spirits who will be dressing the part and amping up the ethereal, inspiring vibrations! Click here to see the complete music lineup, get full event details, and to purchase general admission and VIP tickets.
APOCALYPSE ZOMBIELAND / NOV. 29 & 30 AT THE QUEEN MARY WATERFRONT
Photo Courtesy of Apocalypse: Zombieland
Bass music, derived from dubstep and other low end-heavy genres, is known for its ability to pacify even the most ornery zombies! Assemble your friends, put your zombie attire together, and shuffle over to the Queen Mary for a full weekend of bass music, brought to you by SCORES of DJs who know exactly how to work that bottom end. This event is spectacular! Click here for a preview of the groovy post-Thanksgiving horrors that await you. For the full music lineup, important event info and to get your tickets, click here.