The following list is a curated roundup of weekend events in Long Beach published every Wednesday on the Hi-lo and Long Beach Post. Have an event to share? Email [email protected] with “Things to Do” in the subject line.
This weekend we thought to spotlight our cultural institutions, some of which are embracing the spooky season. The Long Beach Symphony, for instance, is putting on a free Halloween concert. A small theater troupe, that has been performing 35-years strong in the city, is doing a midnight shadow-casted showing of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.” And Musical Theatre West is premiering its newest production “The Sound of Music” this weekend.
There’s more, but you know what to do: Get to scrollin’!
CANSTRUCTION LONG BEACH (Wednesday – Sunday)
The annual CANstruction, a building competition that invites engineers and architectural firms to create elaborate displays out of canned goods to be donated to charity, is returning to Landmark Square on Thursday, Oct. 19.
Using canned foods, design and engineering firms Gensler Architects and Valero Energy will have 12 hours to create a Halloween candy-themed structure made up of 3,000 to 4,000 cans each. This year, the recipients of the canned food will be the Long Beach Rescue Mission and Lydia House Women’s Shelter.
Guests are invited to come see the construction process, which begins at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 18 and stretches into the early morning hours on Thursday, Oct. 19. Those who’d like to see the completed structures and vote on their favorites can visit Landmark Square (the building is open 24 hours) until Oct. 29. To vote. Guests are asked to bring canned foods that will also be donated.
After, structures will be dismantled and to given the nonprofit organizations. Click here for more information. The event is free to attend.
Landmark Square is at 111 W. Ocean Blvd.
DRAG SHOW (Friday)
Long Beach’s premier drag show company, Hamburger Mary’s and Jewels Productions, has teamed up with First Congregational Church of Long Beach to present a special benefit drag show, with proceeds benefitting the LGBTQ Center Long Beach on Friday, Oct. 20.
The show will be hosted by Jewels, arguably the city’s most well-known drag figure, with performances by some of Hamburger Mary’s resident entertainers. Guests can also enjoy appetizers and cocktails.
Tickets to the event are donation-based but suggested donations are $20 for adults and $10 for students. Click here for more information.
First Congregational Church of Long Beach is at 241 Cedar Ave.
MUSICAL THEATRE WEST PRESENTS “THE SOUND OF MUSIC” (Friday – Sunday)
Musical Theatre West is returning to the stage with one of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s most beloved works, “The Sound of Music” on Friday, Oct. 20 at the Carpenter Performing Arts Center.
Though many might have fallen in love with the free-spirited Austrian postulant through the 1965 film starring Julie Andrews, the story of the Von Trapp Family began as a Broadway production many years before the highly successful film. So, if you’ve never gotten to experience the sensation live, Musical Theatre West is the place to see it. Expect all the breathtaking songs, dance numbers and set designs that have made Musical Theatre West one of the best places in Long Beach to see live musical theater.
Shows begin on Friday, Oct. 20 with performances on weekends and select days through Nov. 5. Tickets start at $20. Click here for more information.
The Richard and Karen Carpenter Performing Arts Center is located on the Cal State Long Beach campus at 6200 E. Atherton St.
HALLOWEEN HOOTENANNY (Saturday)
On Saturday, Oct. 21 the Halloween Hootenanny, a spooky craft beer festival at the Museum of Latin American Art (MOLAA) will return for a third year with dozens of craft breweries, cideries, wineries and hard kombucha makers to enjoy.
Guest breweries hailing from all over the world will participate alongside local favorites like Beachwood Brewing Co., Brouwerij West, Ten Mile Brewing, Long Beach Beer Lab, and more.
General admission tickets start at $55 and include unlimited sample pours and a complimentary commemorative souvenir tasting glass. VIP tickets cost $75 and offer one-hour early entry (noon) as well as unlimited sample pours and the commemorative tasting glass. Designated driver tickets cost $25.
Click here to purchase tickets and for more information.
MOLAA is at 628 Alamitos Ave.
ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW (Sunday)
For the past 35 years, the volunteer-based show troupe Midnight Insanity has put on live productions of the “Rocky Horror Picture Show,” at the Art Theatre.
For those who have never experienced the hilarity and absurdity that is live, shadow-casting “Rocky Horror Picture Show,” we’ll break it down for you. Community actors will mime and lip-sync along to the 1975 while also bringing their own personality and flair to the campy musical.
The whole performance is as much about watching the show as it is participating, which means you can heckle, catcall (they love that), sing and dance along. Costumes have always been encouraged for attendees—so, dress up if you’re feeling it.
Tickets for the show cost $13.50 and can be purchased here. The film starts at midnight.
The Art Theatre is at 2025 E. Fourth St.
KIDICAL MASS ZOMBIE RIDE (Sunday)
Kidical Mass, a monthly outdoor neighborhood bike ride, is back this Sunday, Oct. 22 and for the spooky season, they’re encouraging riders to come in their best zombie attire.
Those who come early can get their face painted and prizes will be given out to the “best” and “ugliest” zombie after the ride. The event will also have live music, treats and snacks to enjoy.
Meet up will be at 11 a.m. in the backlot behind Pixie Toys. Those who want to get “zombified” are asked to show up at 10:30 a.m. The event is free to attend. Click here for more information.
Pixie Toys is at 3914 Atlantic Ave.
SYMPHONY SPOOKTACULAR (Sunday)
The Long Beach Symphony has teamed up with the Rumba Foundation to present the Symphony Spooktacular, a family-friendly event with Halloween activities and musical performances.
Children ages 17 and younger may enter for free and enjoy a variety of musical games and performances, from an instrument “petting zoo” to a costume parade and trick-or-treating. Members of the Long Beach Symphony will also perform classical renditions of music from “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” “Star Wars,” “The Addams Family” “Harry Potter” and more.
The event at the Terrace Theater is from 1 to 5 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 22. The hour-long concert portion will begin at 3 p.m. Tickets for adults 18 and older cost $20. Click here for more information and to purchase tickets.
The Long Beach Terrace Theater is at 300 E. Ocean Blvd.
SPONSORED BY INTERNATIONAL CITY THEATRE
INTERNATIONAL CITY THEATRE PRESENTS “DEATHTRAP” BY IRA LEVIN
Excitement is buzzing in the air as theatre enthusiasts eagerly await the highly anticipated comedy-thriller Deathtrap, running at International City Theatre through November 5!
Prepare for an evening filled with suspense, laughter, and unexpected twists as you follow main character Sidney Bruhl, a successful writer of hits who finds himself in a “dry” spell with a string of failures and a shortage of funds. When he receives a script from a young student that attended his seminar, he immediately recognizes it as a Broadway hit. With the help of his wife, Sidney devises a mischievous plan to claim the play as his own. Suspense mounts as the plot twists and turns!
Deathtrap originally premiered on Broadway in 1978 and ran for 1,809 performances! It is Broadway’s longest-running comedy-thriller and has been an audience favorite for many decades. You don’t want to miss this fun, thrilling production directed by Jamie Torcellini. Performances of Deathtrap will take place at the Beverly O’Neill Theater located in the Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center.
Tickets can be purchased on International City Theatre’s website, here, or through the box office at 562-436-4610 Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
SPONSORED BY THE LONG BEACH SYMPHONY
LONG BEACH SYMPHONY OPENS SEASON WITH ROMANTIC-ERA COMPOSITIONS (Saturday)
A celebratory way to start the Long Beach Symphony’s 89th season, “Opening Night with Andreas Boyde” features the uplifting sounds of romantic-period classical music, a rainbow of 19th-century compositions written from the heart.
Under the direction of Maestro Eckart Preu, the concert features renowned pianist Andreas Boyde. A German-born artist who lives in England, Boyde is hailed by critics as “Monsieur 100,000 Volts” for his electrifying performances with orchestras from around the world.
The evening will begin with German composer Johannes Brahms’ bright and rhythmic “Hungarian Dances.” Then, Boyde is set to join the orchestra to perform the singular and highly imaginative “Piano Concerto” by Czech composer Antonín Dvořák, whose music promises to envelope listeners in waves of harmony and emotion. Also on the playlist: the deeply personal “Ma Vlast” and “The Moldau” by Czech composer Bedřich Smetana.
“Opening Night with Andreas Boyde” takes the stage Saturday, Oct. 21. The doors open with a “Sip and Enjoy” celebration starting at 6:30 p.m., including dancing fountains, firepits, a bar and food trucks. Then, there’s a 7 o’clock hour-long pre-concert talk in the concert hall before the music plays at the Long Beach Terrace Theater (300 E. Ocean Blvd.) with the ability to “Sip and Enjoy” in the concert hall. Tickets start as low as $32. Visit LongBeachSymphony.org or call 562-436-3203, ext. 1.