Starting this Saturday, you can enjoy a lively outdoor atmosphere with a drink in your hand for a few hours each month on a one-block stretch in downtown Long Beach.
At 4 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 17, the Downtown Long Beach Alliance will host its first DTLB Live! event, which will take place on the third Saturday of each month on The Promenade between Broadway and Third Street.
It comes as part of a yearlong “entertainment zone” pilot program first approved by the Long Beach City Council in June.
This month’s event is themed “Swing into the New Year” and will feature Big Butter Jazz Band along with live swing dancers. There will also be a live DJ and local vendors provided by Angel City Markets.
During the event, visitors can purchase drinks from designated bars and walk around with an open container within the event’s boundaries.
“By creating a monthly tradition on the Promenade with live entertainment, local vendors and activities for all ages, we’re not just hosting an event, we’re building a rhythm for Downtown that residents and visitors can count on,” DTLBA President Austin Metoyer said in a statement.
The local business improvement district has been slowly expanding events that allow public alcohol consumption.
Its first one last August drew roughly 2,000 people. A Halloween event called Fright Fest brought in an estimated 8,000 people over the course of the eight-hour event.
“Our community has been clear, they want to see Downtown come alive with more regular events that bring people together,” Metoyer said in a statement.
Two other California cities, Santa Monica and San Francisco, have approved entertainment zones after a 2023 state law made them possible. Both cities have established entertainment zones for select hours each week.