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.

A major sports event and film festival is happening this weekend, plus a unique concert with a lauded flutist. We’ve also found a Hatch chile roasting event and a vegan food gathering.

Get to scrollin’!

QFILMS FESTIVAL (Thursday – Sunday)

The QFilms Festival, the city’s oldest film festival, returns for its 29th year with 48 films, documentaries and shorts dedicated to LGBTQ filmmakers and the queer experience.

The lineup includes both local and international work, and even includes feature films such as “Bros,” a Universal Pictures romantic comedy directed by Nicholas Stoller that will premiere for QFilms audiences before opening in theaters on Sept. 30. The film, starring Billy Eichner, is the first rom-com from a major studio about gay men and featuring an entirely LGBTQ+ principal cast.

The festival will be fully in-person at the Art Theatre on Retro Row this year and per the theater’s protocol, all attendees will need to show proof of vaccination in order to attend.

Tickets for individual screenings are $14, or attendees can purchase an all-access pass for $130 plus fees. Click here for more information and to see the complete lineup.

The Art Theater is at 2025 E. Fourth St. 

LONG BEACH VEGAN SOCIAL (Saturday)

Here to save you the trouble of scouting for some vegan eats is the Long Beach Vegan Social, where from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 10, six plant-based businesses are bringing their vegan food and drink straight to you in Long Beach.

Participating businesses include vegan Japanese food and sushi from Plant Lab Truck, Avocado Mama’s mac n’ cheese, plant-based barbecue from Leaf Over Beef, Asian dishes from Veganholics, pastry desserts from Sol Y Luna Donuts and Mexican fare from Marysols Kitchen.

Long Beach Vegan Social at The Hawk Bar is both indoors and outdoors and is free to all ages to attend, but if you want to be inside the bar you must be at 21 years or older. Click here for more info.

The Hawk Bar is at 468 W. Anaheim St.

U.S. SUMO OPEN (Saturday)

The 22nd annual U.S. Sumo Open returns to Walter Pyramid at Cal State Long Beach Saturday, Sept. 10

The competition in Long Beach is the largest, longest-running sumo tournament in the world outside of Japan, and attracts some of the top sumo wrestlers from around the world competing for gold.

Over 60 international athletes will be competing, but some noteworthy faces to keep an eye on include Jose Galindo, returning two-year consecutive champion in both heavyweight and open weight classes and Mongolian wrestler Mendsaikhan Tsogt-Erdene who is currently the No. 4 in the World Games. The pair will be heading into what is likely to be a crowd-pleasing fight.

Tickets cost between $30-45, click here to purchase, but those who can’t attend can also watch via livestream on YouTube, click here. Doors open at noon with the main event at 2 p.m.

Walter Pyramid is at 1250 N. Bellflower Blvd. on the Cal State Long Beach campus.

HATCH CHILE ROASTING (Saturday)

East Long Beach grocery store Lazy Acres is hosting its annual Hatch green chile roasting event, where you can have the New Mexico delicacy roasted fresh for you on-site.

If you’ve never heard of the green pepper before, just know it’s a chile native to Hatch Valley in New Mexico. It’s a highly sought-after chile that ranks pretty mild on the Scoville Scale (between 1,500-2,500) but is much beloved for its rich, zesty flavor.

No pre-order is necessary, just show up to Lazy Acres between 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. to purchase and roast. Click here for more information.

Lazy Acres is at 2080 N. Bellflower Blvd.

MOONLIGHT MASH (Saturday)

Each month whenever there is a full moon bicycle riders, organized as the Moonlight Mash, convene for an evening bike ride in the Downtown area.

What can you expect at Moonlight Mash? A safe, coordinated group ride that’s more or less like a costume party on wheels. This month’s theme is “Lord of the Rings,” or Lord of the Chain Rings, as they’re dubbing it. So, come in your best fantasy attire, or “show some love for all the bike mechanics and bike fanatics in your life,” organizers said.

Moonlight Mash is free to join, just show up at Pedal Movement by 7:30 p.m. Roll-out is at 8 p.m.  Click here for more information.

Pedal Movement is at 223 E. First St.

FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH CONCERT FUNDRAISER (Sunday)

World-renowned flutist, Jean Ferrandis, will be performing at First Congregational Church in Downtown Long Beach, Sunday, Sept. 11 as part of a fundraising effort for the city’s oldest standing church.

First Congregational was built in 1914 and maintaining the Italian Romanesque architecture has taken a lot of effort and money in the last 108 years. The church is hoping people will purchase tickets that will benefit a fund for the continuing restoration of the church.

As for the show, Ferrandis will perform music by Bach, Debussy, Hindemith, Schumann, and Verdi, accompanied by organ and piano. The evening will conclude with a tour of the church.

Tickets cost $50 and may be purchased online, click here.

First Congregational Church is at 241 Cedar Ave.