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Breakwater Battle (Thursday, July 2 and Friday, July 3)
Five-time Olympian water polo player and Long Beach native Tony Azevedo will host a local water polo tournament from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on both Thursday and Friday. The games can be viewed from around Bayshore Beach — also known as Horny Corner.
The event is part of the city’s Fourth of July celebration to commemorate the country’s 250th birthday, which will culminate with a fireworks show shot from three barges on Saturday night.
Long Beach Municipal Band (Friday, July 3)
Starting at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, the Long Beach Municipal Band will continue its 117th season with a performance at El Dorado Park West.
In honor of the country’s 250th birthday, the band will be playing “Stars and Stripes Forever” and “America the Beautiful” among other tunes to celebrate the occasion.
Visitors are encouraged to bring blankets, chairs and picnic-style dinners and snacks.
You can find the band’s full lineup here.
Fireworks — of course (Saturday, July 4)
The city has tripled the size of its fireworks show this year in honor of the country turning 250.
At 9 p.m. on Saturday, fireworks will be launched from three barges: one near the Queen Mary, one near Cherry Avenue and another near Bayshore Avenue.
That means fireworks will light up the sky and be visible from nearly anywhere along the coastline. For fireworks options this weekend, read here.
‘Blade Runner’ and ‘The Exorcist’ at the Art Theatre (Friday, July 3 and Saturday, July 4)
If fireworks aren’t your thing, catch some excitement on the silver screen this weekend with a visit to the Art Theatre on Retro Row.
The theater will be showing “Blade Runner: The Final Cut” from 1982 and “The Exorcist” from 1973 on 16 mm.
Head here for the showtimes and to buy tickets.
Aquarium of the Pacific Beach Clean-up (Sunday, July 5)
From 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., you can join fellow volunteers to clean up Junipero Beach the day after Independence Day.
Volunteers are encouraged to bring covered shoes, a reusable water bottle, a hat/sunglasses and sunscreen. Parking will be provided and can be accessed after you register here.
Aquarium of the Pacific will provide gloves, buckets, sifters, pickers and trash bags, but you can also bring your own.
Great Homes Tour: Turn of the Century (Sunday, July 5)
If you’re looking for a stress-free event this Fourth of July weekend, this tour by Long Beach Heritage gives participants the opportunity to explore four historic homes from the 1900s “in various stages of preservation from noon to 3 p.m. this Sunday.
Some of the homes have been fully restored, while others are “actively undergoing rehabilitation.
Tour organizers say the choice to showcase ongoing projects will give viewers a glimpse of the “challenges and triumphs of saving Long Beach’s architectural heritage.”
Tickets are $44.52 for Long Beach Heritage Members and $55.20 for everyone else. They can be purchased here.