The following is a curated roundup of weekend events in Long Beach published every Wednesday on the Hi-lo/Long Beach Post. Have an event to share? Email [email protected] with “Things to Do” in the subject line.
There’s a fair amount of things to celebrate this weekend. First, all of our clocks being set back the way they should be. Then, of course, St. Patricks Day, if that’s your thing. And then there’s just the general celebration of the week being over and getting a few days to enjoy Long Beach. And for that, we’ve got you covered.
Check out a brand new dessert festival, featuring pandan, which is a tropical plant featured in cuisine across Southeast Asia. There’s also a craft beer festival featuring the eccentric brews from homebrewers across the Southland. Plus, we’ve found a classical comedy show, a fermenting workshop and more.
Get to scrollin’!
CLASSICAL CRACK-UPS – EXPO ARTS CENTER (Friday)
The musicians of Infinite Stage and improv artists from Held2gether will converge Friday, March 18 at the Expo Arts Center for an evening of classical music and comedy.
As with any good improv show, audience participation will be part of the act, meaning you play a fair part in just how the two-hour show will go. It’s all part of the fun.
Classical Crack-Ups begins at 7:30 p.m. Attendees must show proof of vaccination and wear masks while indoors.
Click here for more information and to purchase tickets.
Expo Arts Center is at 4321 Atlantic Ave.
CRAFT BEER LB HOMEBREW INVITATIONAL – RANCHO LOS CERRITOS (Saturday)
On Saturday, March 19 at Rancho Los Cerritos, 45 homebrewers hailing from homebrew clubs across the southland are battling out to take home the title of best brew.
There will be both a juried winner and a popular vote, meaning your drinking matters, and to be sure, there will be plenty to guzzle. In addition to the 45 homebrews each bringing five gallons of their finest, patrons can also enjoy unlimited tastings from local breweries including Beachwood Brewing, Liberation Brewing Co, Ambitious Ales, Ten Mile Brewing and Syncopated Brewing.
General admission tickets cost $35 and include unlimited pours from both the professional breweries and homebrewers. Attendees who purchase a VIP ticket for $55 can enter the festival an hour early. The event is family-friendly and permits children ages 15 and younger free entry. Click here for more information and to purchase tickets.
The Craft Beer LB Homebrew Invitational is from 1-5 p.m. Saturday, March 18 and will be at Rancho Los Cerritos at 4600 Virginia Rd.
FERMENTING SAUERKRAUT AND KIMCHI WORKSHOP – COMPOUND (Saturday)
Damian Ross and Ilkay Basugar are the founders of Fermentality, a local business that specializes in and sells fermented vegetables at farmer’s markets in Los Angeles and Orange County. On Saturday, March 19, they’re hosting a workshop from 4-6 p.m. at Compound where they’ll teach how to create your own fermented foods at home.
Ross and Basugar will focus on kimchi and sauerkraut for this demo, providing an overview of lacto-fermentation and an in-depth history of the sour vegetables’ impact on western culture. They’ll also hand out some recipes and equipment lists so you know exactly what you need to get your own start at home.
After the lecture, history lesson, demo and Q&A, attendees can sample some of Fermentality’s foods.
Tickets are available on a sliding scale and start at $5. Click here for more information and to purchase tickets.
Compound is at 1395 Coronado Ave.
PANDAN DESSERT FESTIVAL – KUBO EVENT CENTER (Saturday)
From the organizers behind the Long Beach Ube Festival, comes a new dessert and baked goods festival this time featuring the popular Southeast Asian plant, pandan. If you’ve never had it, just know its flavor profile is described as grassy with hints of rose, vanilla, almond and coconut depending on how it’s used.
Pandan Party at the new Kubo event space in Bixby Knolls on Saturday, March 19 will feature nine businesses selling a variety of pandan desserts including pandan cheesecake bars (seen above), pandan cinnamon rolls, cookies, pastries and juices. Attendees can also shop from a variety of local businesses selling plants, clothing, jewelry, art and more.
Entry cost $5 and will only be accepted at the door. Guests who would like to move to the front of the line are encouraged to RSVP, click here.
For more information pertaining to vendors, visit the Long Beach Ube Festival Instagram page, here. The festival is from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Kubo is at 345 E. Carson St.
BULLDOG BEAUTY CONTEST – GRANADA BOAT LAUNCH (Sunday)
Local community activist Justin Rudd is hosting his 17th Annual Bulldog Beauty Contest at the Granada Boat Launch next to Rosie’s Dog Beach where hundreds of the stout, barrel-chested K-9s are expected to strut their stuff on a 60-foot red carpet and compete for a variety of honors such as best small dog, prettiest dog, best senior dog and, of course, best in show.
Costumes are not encouraged for this competition, which is judged based on the pups’ charm, first impression, (squished)face, figure and personality. Those who would like to enter still can for $10, click here, but for attendees, you can just walk up to enjoy the spectacle. Although, if you’d like to reserve a seat along the catwalk you can pay $5 cash at the event.
The Bulldog Beauty Contest starts at 9 a.m. Sunday, March, 20. Click here for scheduling info.
Rosie’s Dog Beach is at 5000 E. Ocean Blvd.
SUNDAY ROLLER DISCO – JUNIPERO BEACH BASKETBALL COURTS (Sunday)
At this point, there’s a good chance you’ve heard of Pedal Movement’s Sunday Roller Disco, a free event that invites the community, from newbies to pros, to get outside and skate together.
This Sunday, March 20 is no exception, except spinning the tunes this time will be DJ POPTART bringing a bit of funk, groove and all that good stuff to the pavement.
If you don’t have skates you can reserve a $10 rental from Pedal Movement, click here for more info. The free skate is from 3-6 p.m.
Sunset Skate Session will be at the Junipero Beach basketball courts at 1 Junipero Ave.
PURIM FESTIVAL – ALPERT JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER (Sunday)
The holiday of Purim celebrated by Jewish communities is one of their most joyous celebrations of the year and commemorates the saving of Persia’s Jewish subjects from execution at the hands of Haman, an official of the Achaemenid Empire, as recounted in the Book of Esther.
Though Purim officially begins at sundown on March 16, the Alpert Jewish Community Center is celebrating the holiday with the community from 1-3 p.m. Sunday, March 20 with “Hocus! Pocus! Hamentaschen!” a family-friendly carnival-like affair with crafts, games, face-painting and heaps of hamantaschen, which is a triangle-shaped pastry stuffed with chocolate, poppyseed and other fillings.
Tickets to the outdoor festival are $10 unless you’re an AJCC or Temple Israel Long Beach remember and need only pay $5. Children under 2 years old get in free. Click here to purchase tickets ahead of time, though tickets can also be purchased at the door, capacity permitting.
The Alpert Jewish Community Center is at 3801 E. Willow St.
SPONSORED BY AQUARIUM OF THE PACIFIC
17TH ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL CHILDREN’S FESTIVAL – (Saturday & Sunday)
The Aquarium of the Pacific will host its seventeenth annual International Children’s Festival, an event celebrating the amazing talents of children from a diverse set of cultures on Saturday and Sunday, March 19 and 20 from 9:00am to 5:00pm each day.
This festival features dance and music performances by kids representing a variety of international cultures. Each year the Aquarium presents its annual Young Hero Award to a child in recognition of their outstanding service to people and the planet.
The festival is free with general admission to the Aquarium, for details visit aquariumofpacific.org.
The Aquarium of the Pacific is at 100 Aquarium Way.