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.
This weekend Long Beach will see the return of not just one but two popular events that were put on hiatus last year due to well, you know, and that means locals can once again check out the annual Festival of Flight event at the Long Beach Airport and the Belmont Shore Sidewalk Chalk Art Contest. Pretty sweet, right?
We’d also like to point you in the direction of a very special (and kind of belated) Dia de los Muertos-themed music, art and business event in Bixby Knolls, a couple of movie screenings and a vegan food fair.
Get to scrollin’!
TRIVIA NIGHT – TRADEMARKING BREWING (Wednesday)
Chill out with a pint and test the breadth of your pop culture knowledge Wednesday with a two-hour trivia night at Trademark Brewing.
Attendees can band together in groups as large as six, or those single-player dark horses can mosey up to the bar and compete for clout and prizes from the brewing company.
The free event starts at 7 p.m. (sharp). Click here for more information.
Trademark Brewing is at 233 E. Anaheim St.
FIRST FRIDAYS – BIXBY KNOLLS (Friday)
Bixby Knolls is set to celebrate a belated Dia de los Muertos during their community event, First Fridays, on Friday, Nov. 5 with live music, heaps of art, pop-ups and business specials that make the monthly event arguably the best in the city.
The event will feature its annual ofrendo, or Dia de los Muertos altar, contest, and an Aztec dance performance in honor of the holiday. The “Artist’s Lot” inside the Expo Arts Center (4321 Atlantic Ave.) will be teeming with art demonstrations and installations, pop-ups and music, including a special performance by local electronic outfit, Toaster Music, with art on display by accomplished painter Lindsey Nobel.
Businesses all along Atlantic Avenue will host live local music, including shows at Thunderbolt Pizza by Phoenyx & Phyre, Bixby Joe by Like Minds Jazz Trio, Ground Control by Slush Box and more—seriously, a lot more, too many to list in this modest explanation.
Other must-see stops include sugar-skull decorating at Studio Pick Art Studio, Goofy and Pluto meet-and-greet plus dance performances at Dream Come True Tea and Party Room, movie screenings of “Coco” and “Spectre” at Liberation Brewing Co. and free pan dulce at Long Beach Clothing.
If you’d like an expanded look at all there is to see, listen and enjoy, click here for information.
First Fridays at Bixby Knolls is from 6:30-9:30 p.m. The free event spans a sizable length of Atlantic Avenue, but a good starting point is at the Expo Arts Center at 4321 Atlantic Ave.
MOVIES & MOONLIGHT, “NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS” – 2ND & PCH (Friday)
Catch a free outdoor movie screening of “Nightmare Before Christmas” at 2nd & PCH Friday, Nov. 5 as part of the Movies & Moonlight series at the dining and shopping center.
At 5 p.m. 2nd & PCH will host some pre-show entertainment with special appearances by characters Jack and Sally from the film, before the movie begins at sunset (roughly 6 p.m. these days).
Early arrival is encouraged so that you can stake your spot along the main street, Seaport Way, which is blocked off to traffic. Guests are encouraged to bring their own lawn chairs or blankets as complimentary seating is limited and offered on a first-come-first-serve basis. There will be heaters stationed outside, though getting a spot near those will also be first-come-first-serve.
The center requests that all attendees adhere to social distancing.
2nd & PCH is at 6400 Pacific Coast Highway.
FESTIVAL OF FLIGHT – LONG BEACH AIRPORT (Saturday)
Returning after a year-long hiatus thanks to that fun-sucking virus we’re all tired of hearing about, the Festival of Flight celebration will once again convene Saturday, Nov. 6 from 10 a.m to 4 p.m. at the Long Beach Airport.
The annual outdoor event is more of an appreciation of machines that can fly, because there won’t be any airplanes soaring through the air, rather, attendees can experience a rare chance to get up close to the flying metal birds to touch, gawk and appreciate the towering ingenuity of human invention.
The event will also include live music, giveaways, activities for children, food and beer trucks. And, if you’re feeling particularly adventurous, you can purchase a helicopter ride.
Since the event is expected to draw 10,000 people, the Festival of Flight is only allowing admission to attendees who can show proof of full vaccination, as per city regulation. A negative COVID-19 test taken within three days of the event will also be accepted. For more information on vaccination and test requirements, click here.
Free parking will be available at the corner of East Wardlow Road and Globemaster Way, as well as an overflow lot. Alternate modes of transportation, such as cycling, carpooling, ride sharing and public transportation, are highly encouraged. Bicycle parking also will be available.
For more information, click here.
The Festival of Flight will take place at Taxiway E, located on the west end of the airfield at 3590 E. Wardlow Road.
BELMONT SHORE SIDEWALK ART CHALK CONTEST – BELMONT SHORE (Saturday)
Over 60 artists are expected to break out the colored pastels (we’re going to pretend it’s chalk) and compete for cash prizes Saturday, Nov. 6 during a favorite local event of sidewalk art-making, presented by community activist Justin Rudd and his nonprofit, Community Action Team.
Take a stroll between St. Joseph and Glendora avenues on Second Street to see the artists working on their pieces starting as early as 9 a.m. If you’re less into the process and more into checking out the finished pieces, show up between 3:30 and 4:10 p.m. in front of Chase Bank (5200 E. Second St.) to see the judging and prize-giving; Best in Show will receive $350, first place will receive $250, second place $150 and five honorable mentions will receive $50 each.
Also, if you’re an artist looking to participate—it’s not too late. Click here for more info and to sign up.
Chase Bank in Belmont Shore is at 5200 E. Second St.
VEGAN DISTRICT FOOD FAIR – THE PIKE OUTLETS (Saturday)
Every first and third Saturday of the month, the Pike Outlets courtyard becomes a playground for vegans with the Vegan District food fair, a marketplace of local and regional plant-based vendors selling food, desserts, drinks, make-up, skincare and other animal-free products.
You can check out the fair for yourself this Saturday, Nov. 6 from noon to 6 p.m. You can find the vendors in the center of the outlets near Forever 21 and H&M, facing West Seaside Way.
The event is free to attend.
The Pike Outlets is at 95 S. Pine Ave.
AN EVENING WITH BRANFORD MARSALIS QUARTET – CARPENTER CENTER (Saturday)
The Carpenter Center’s new season premieres Saturday, Nov. 6 with a concert performance by the world-renowned jazz saxophonist Branford Marsalis and his Grammy-award-winning quartet.
This will be a show of beginnings and endings, as Marsalis will be performing for the first time at the Carpenter Center, but will be the last show audiences can attend in Southern California this year to see the accomplished musicians perform live.
For those unfamiliar with Marsalis, the musician was raised in the birthplace of jazz music, New Orleans, from a distinguished jazz family (his father was the famous jazz pianist, Ellis Marsalis Jr.) As a saxophonist, Marsalis has toured with Art Blakey and Herbie Hancock, gained fame playing with Sting and the Grateful Dead as well as the leader of the “Tonight Show” Band, and has since secured his place in his own solo career as one of America’s most accomplished present-day jazz saxophone players.
The Carpenter Center does require attendees show proof of full vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test taken within three days of the show. Tickets cost $65. Doors open at 7:30 p.m., show starts at 8 p.m.
Click here for more information and to purchase tickets.
The Richard and Karen Carpenter Performing Arts Center is at 6200 E. Atherton St. at the Cal State Long Beach campus.
FARGO SCREENING AND SPECIAL Q+A – ART THEATRE (Sunday)
The Art Theatre of Long Beach will be hosting a special matinee screening of the 1996 crime film “Fargo” Sunday, Nov. 7 followed by a Q&A with Todd Melby, a man who knows a lot about what went into making the famed film epic that was based on a real-life crime in Minnesota.
Melby’s book, “A Lot Can Happen in the Middle of Knowhere: The Untold Story of the Making of Fargo” takes a behind-the-scenes look at the creative moments that made the movie such a success, including casting struggles, battles over dialect, production challenges (apparently not enough snow), and insights from the screenplay and selected scenes, according to the book’s bio. So, we wager they’ll be some sweet insights from Melby.
Tickets cost $10 for adults; $9 for seniors and children ages 2-11. The movie starts at 11 a.m. Click here to purchase tickets.
The Art Theatre is at 2025 E. Fourth St.
SPONSORED BY THE LONG BEACH CAMERATA SINGERS
MUSIC IS A FORCE FOR UNDERSTANDING IN PERFORMANCE BY LONG BEACH CAMERATA SINGERS – JORDAN HIGH SCHOOL (Sunday, Nov. 14)
The Long Beach Camerata Singers are returning to the stage and using music as a force for understanding with their performance of “PEACE PROJECT FIVE: Reconciliation,” a concert designed to explore themes of diversity and inclusion.
The concert will be narrated by Vice Mayor Rex Richardson and conducted by Camerata’s Grammy Award-winning Artistic Director, Dr. James K. Bass.
The concert on Sunday, Nov. 14, starts at 4:30 p.m. Included with the ticket, is admission to an advance 3 p.m. roundtable with local Black community leaders moderated by Dr. Derrell Acon, who will guide the discussion around the power of the performing arts in fostering human compassion.
Tickets to the event at Jordan High School start at $40 and are available now, click here to purchase.