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.
Welcome to what will (hopefully) be a nice long three-day Memorial Day weekend. Those looking for some high-flying Memorial Day festivities might consider checking out L.A. Fleet Week in San Pedro—more on that below.
But for those looking to just get out and about this weekend, we’ve found some great outdoor events, like Fourth Fridays on Retro Row and the return of the Patchwork Show Makers Festival, an expansive craft market that comes to Long Beach twice a year.
For the kiddos, we’ve found a family-friendly (and free) concert at El Dorado Park. And for our DIY art fans, the L.A. Zine Fest is landing in Long Beach on Sunday, May 28.
Get to scrollin’!
FOURTH FRIDAYS (Friday)
Check out all that Retro Row’s shops and restaurants have to offer during Fourth Fridays, which this month lands on Friday, May 26.
All along Fourth Street between Hermosa and Temple avenues, businesses open up their doors or set up shop on the sidewalk offering special promotions or discounts. There’s often live music, artist pop-ups and various activities for kids.
Fourth Friday is from 6-9 p.m. Click here for more information.
Retro Row spans the length of Fourth Street between Temple and Hermosa avenues, but a good place to start is at the Art Theatre of Long Beach at 2025 E. Fourth St.
EL DORADO PARK SUMMER KICKOFF CONCERT (Friday)
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The ’80s cover band FlashPants is taking over El Dorado Park on Friday, May 26, for a free, family-friendly concert to kick off the summer season.
FlashPants will be performing covers by Flock of Seagulls, Devo, Bon Jovi, Eurythmics, Beastie Boys and a host of other ’80s classic hits. The event will also feature a variety of activities for kids, including face painting. Guests are encouraged to bring their own food and blankets for seating.
The event opens at 5 p.m. with the concert going from 6-8 p.m. Click here for more information.
The event is located at El Dorado Park West on Studebaker Road north of Willow Street.
L.A. FLEET WEEK (Friday – Sunday)
Los Angeles Fleet Week, the annual, weeklong festival that celebrates and honors veterans and active military personnel, is in full flight this week, but more festivities are planned for this weekend and through Monday, May 29.
In San Pedro, attendees can take tours of active duty ships and the Battleship Iowa, while also enjoying live brass bands and other entertainment. Guests can also expect aircraft flyovers and aerial demonstrations. There’s a lot more on the agenda, which you can check out here.
Those who’d like to stay closer to Long Beach may also enjoy a free Memorial Day celebration happening at Shoreline Aquatic Park on Sunday, May 28. Learn more here.
Most of the Fleet Week festivities will take place at the Battleship USS Iowa Museum at 250 S. Harbor Blvd.
QUEER PROM BROKEBACK HO DOWN (Saturday)
Plantiitas plant nursery on Retro Row is hosting a “Brokeback Mountain”-inspired queer prom on Saturday, May 27, inviting the queer community and allies to dress up in their finest rodeo attire and square dance the evening away.
The prom will feature live music, photo opportunities, raffles and other giveaways. Free tickets to the event have sold out, but donation-based admission is still open. All donation-based tickets to the prom will go toward mutual aid community post-op recovery kits, meant for those who have received gender-affirming surgeries.
Click here for more information.
Plantiitas is at 2011 E. Fourth St.
KITCHEN LINGO PRODUCE SHARE (Saturday)
Culinary bookstore Kitchen Lingo is inviting the public to take part in a fresh fruit and veggie produce exchange every Saturday morning.
The idea, owner Matt Miller says, is to encourage locals who might have an abundance of produce from their trees or garden at home, to share with the community. As much as locals are encouraged to bring their own produce, it’s not a requirement to enjoy it. Anyone who’d like some fresh fruit can take some home, he says.
The produce exchange is every Saturday morning from 10 a.m. until the food is gone. Takeaway bags will be provided, but guests are encouraged to bring their own.
Kitchen Lingo is at 2116 E. Fourth St.
L.A. ZINE FEST (Sunday)
Back in person, and for the first time in Long Beach, the L.A. Zine Fest is taking over the Expo Arts Center Sunday, May 28.
Featuring over 140 independent zine artists (or zinesters, as they’re called), the event will feature an expansive marketplace, daylong workshops and panel discussions about the social and political movements so often represented within zine making.
L.A. Zine Fest will be open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and is free to attend. Click here to learn more.
The Expo Arts Center is at 4321 Atlantic Ave.
PATCHWORK SHOW MAKERS FESTIVAL (Sunday)
The Patchwork Show Makers Festival is a free biannual craft fair that sets up shop around Southern California offering local artists, crafters and designers a space to showcase their handmade goods in an affordable venue. Back for spring, the Patchwork Festival is this Sunday, May 28, at Marine Stadium Launch Ramps.
Long Beach is home to Patchwork’s biggest event each year, and Sunday’s festival will be no exception, with over 200 makers and artists expected, who will sell a variety of goods such as handbags, jewelry, home goods, plants, ceramics, clothing for men, women, children, knits and crochets, apothecary items—a lot of stuff, you get it.
What’s more, every vendor selected in the show has been selected by a jury as a way to ensure that the festival offers a wide array of high-quality, one-of-a-kind gifts and products.
Attendees can also check out some craft activities, live music, and in the inevitable event that all that shopping makes you hungry, rest assured there will be food trucks stationed on-site.
The event will run from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Click here for more information.
The Marine Stadium Launch Ramps is at 490 Bayshore Ave.