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.

Two very popular food events are back this week, notably the Taste of Downtown food series (back in-person for the first time since the pandemic, no less) and the Long Beach Seafood Festival. What’s also special about this weekend is the debut of two new events, including a new music series at Shoreline Village and the very cute Babies! exhibition at the Aquarium of the Pacific, which you might have guessed, features a host of the aquarium’s tiny-tiny creatures.

If you’re feeling like a little shopping, we’ve found an event for that. Or if you feel like giving back, consider going to a special concert raising money to help those struggling from the war in Ukraine.

Get to scrollin’!

TASTE OF DOWNTOWN – EAST VILLAGE (Wednesday & Thursday)

Flyer courtesy of Downtown Long Beach Alliance.

Check out all the local grub East Village has to offer with the return of Taste of Downtown, and back in-person for the first time since the pandemic shut all the fun down.

On Wednesday and Thursday, May 25-26 select businesses in East Village will be offering a taste of their signature food and drinks, giving you the opportunity to find your new favorite restaurant(s) without too much damage to your wallet.

The event is free to attend, but in order to sample you’ll need to purchase $1 “taste tickets.” Click here to purchase tickets and for more information.

Taste of Downtown will be in the East Village between Elm and Linden avenues on First Street.

HELP HEAL UKRAINE CONCERT & FUNDRAISER – LA TRAVIATA (Thursday)

Flyer courtesy organizers.

Organized by the Ukraine United Fund (UUF), this concert and dinner fundraiser Thursday, May 26 is aiming to help provide support to children, families, refugees and medics who’ve been affected by the war in Ukraine.

The event will feature a performance from award-winning violinist Philip Vaiman, pianist Lyena Atonyicq and Ukrainian jazz, pop singer and songwriter Nuttalya.

Tickets cost $35 and include an Italian dinner buffet from La Traviata. All profits and donations go to Leleka Foundation, which will also purchase first aid kits for medics on the field.

Click here for more information and to purchase tickets.

La Traviata Restaurant is at 301 N. Cedar Ave.

BABIES! EXHIBITION – AQUARIUM OF THE PACIFIC (Friday)

A baby sea otter from the Aquarium of the Pacific. See the otters plus other small creatures at the aquarium’s newest exhibition Babies! Photo by Robin Riggs.

On Friday, May 27 the Aquarium of the Pacific is debuting its newest exhibition all about baby animals.

“Babies!” features over a dozen exhibits with baby or young animals including sea otters, sea turtles, tiny cuttlefish, miniature sea jellies, frogs and baby sharks.

 

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Aside from gawking over all the cuteness, guests will learn just how the ocean acts as a nursery for these young creatures and how the aquarium is working to help many of these endangered species.

Access to Babies! is included in a general admission ticket which costs $36.95 for those 12 and older; $26.95 for children 3-11; $33.95 for seniors ages 62 and older.

Click here for more information and to purchase tickets.

Aquarium of the Pacific is at 100 Aquarium Way.

LONG BEACH SEAFOOD FESTIVAL – SHORELINE AQUATIC PARK (Saturday)

A seafood boil from Cali Shrimp & Wingz House. Photo courtesy of Victor Sanchez.

The third annual Long Beach Seafood Festival will be held at Shoreline Aquatic Park on the grassy slopes by Lions Lighthouse Saturday, May 28. Over 20 seafood vendors (and counting) are expected to take over the waterfront grounds, offering a diverse range of seafood dishes from sushi to crab cakes to lobster mac n’ cheese and fried oysters to seafood gumbo, shrimp skewers, grilled squid and more.

In addition to offering full-sized meals, each of the vendors will be selling smaller, sample-sized dishes priced at $5. So if you’re looking to try as many dishes as your stomach can handle, this approach is the way to go.

The festival is designed to be a family-friendly event with live music and entertainment all day long. There will be communal games such as giant Jenga and Connect Four for attendees to enjoy, plus a giant mechanical bull.

Click here for more information and to purchase tickets at $21 for attendees ages 13 and older. Tickets are $8 for children ages 5-12.

Shoreline Aquatic Park is at 200 Aquarium Way.

THE PIKE MARKET ON BAY STREET – PIKE OUTLETS (Saturday)

Flyer courtesy organizers.

Over 50 vendors are expected to take over the Pike Outlets Saturday, May 28 in a day-long shopping market with food, drinks, boutique shops and live music.

Vendors will be set up along Bay Street at the Pike Outlets where shoppers can expect to find clothes, jewelry, home goods, pet merchandise, plants and more.

The market is free to attend and will run from 1-9 p.m. Click here for more information.

Pike Market on Bay Street is at 8 Bay St.

SEASIDE CONCERTS – SHORELINE VILLAGE (Sunday)

Long Beach-based blues-soul vocalist Shyy But Flyy. File photo.

Shoreline Village is a lovely place to visit any weekend. There are restaurants and shops along the boardwalk, plus its waterfront location makes it a picturesque destination from any vantage point.

But weekends at Shoreline Village are about to get a little more inviting with a new concert series every Sunday beginning on May 29. Kicking off the show is Long Beach’s Shyy But Flyy a blues-soul vocalist with a ton of heart. Catch her set for free from 1 to 5 p.m. on the boardwalk by the Funnel House.

Click here to see the complete lineup of bands and artists to play this summer and fall.

Shoreline Village is at 429 Shoreline Village Dr.

SPONSORED BY AQUARIUM OF THE PACIFIC

STUDENT FILMS EARN HIGH TIDINGS AT AQUARIUM OF THE PACIFIC — ONLINE/AQUARIUM
OF THE PACIFIC (Wednesday, June 1)

Aspiring filmmakers from local high schools will be the “sea stars” of the Aquarium of the Pacific’s digital High Tide Film Festival Screening, where the community will be able to dive into their short films about the Pacific Ocean.

Winning entries will be streamed live online in the categories of ocean innovation, local treasures and coral reefs. “While data and discovery are the fuel of science, that science only changes the world with personal stories and the sort of human connection that art provides,” said Aquarium of the Pacific President and CEO Dr. Peter Karejva.

The free live streaming of the films from 7 to 8 p.m., as well as an in-person community event and award ceremony, takes place Wednesday, June 1. The event is sponsored by Dr. Allen Charlotte Ginsburg. Visit www.aquariumofpacific.org/events/hightide for details.

The Aquarium of the Pacific is at 100 Aquarium Way.

 

SPONSORED BY LANDMARK THEATRE

LANDMARK THEATRE PRESENTS “WORKING: A MUSICAL” (Friday)

 

Landmark Theatre returns to the stage this week with a vibrant and unique-to-Long-Beach production of Working: A Musical, based on the best-selling book by Studs Terkel. Nominated for six Tony Awards, this is an American classic that has been updated with new songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda. This energetic and inspiring musical illuminates the humanity of the American worker. And in a world still reeling from the pandemic, Landmark will explore the many issues of this particular moment in time – from the inequities of capitalist America to “the great resignation” – as we take a deep look at what it means to work.

Landmark’s production of Working will hit the stage over three weekends, May 27 – June 12, and will also unfold through a community-based video project. Landmark is sharing the stories of Long Beach’s working lives through a video series that includes local artisans, tradespeople, executives, service workers, and more. The series can be found online at the company’s website at https://lblandmark.org/working and incorporated on-stage during the production of Working: A Musical.

As always, this Landmark production features a top-notch cast and professional live orchestra—hallmarks of a company that has re-launched as an important cultural landmark in the heart of Long Beach, known for consistently high-quality musical theatre productions in a unique setting. Past memorable shows include Little Shop of Horrors, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Little Women the Musical, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Closer Than Ever, and Titanic the Musical.

Landmark Theatre is at 241 Cedar Ave.