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 is celebrating all kinds of communities—a Trans Pride festival, an LBGTQ artist pop-up and drag show and a plus-sized clothing swap—all of which are free to attend.
This weekend will also see the return of the summertime horror convention, Midsummer Scream, and a popular vegan food vendor pop-up featuring some new businesses. We also took note of a special promotion happening at a local ramen shop because they’re offering a chance for you to enjoy some ramen on the house.
Get to scrollin’!
MIDSUMMER SCREAM (Friday – Sunday)
The annual convention that brings all the spook and scares to the sunniest months of the year is back at the Long Beach Convention Center this weekend, July 28-30, with horror-themed vendors, presentations from creative professionals, entertainment and more.
Regarded as the largest Halloween and horror convention in the world, the event is expected to draw 40,000 horror enthusiasts, creatives, cosplayers and industry professionals during the three-day convention. Attendees can check out mazes, onsite haunts and heaps of live entertainment. This year’s featured talent includes 39 special guests, including the Boulet Brothers, producers and hosts of the popular reality competition series “The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula,” which features contestants showcasing dark, horror-themed drag looks.
The convention is also a fine place to stock up on all your Halloween-related wants, with over 350 vendors selling horror-themed apparel, home decor, special effects makeup, masks and costumes. Cosplay and costume are, of course, very welcome.
Tickets to Midsummer Scream start at $35 for single-day passes. Click here for more information and to purchase tickets.
The Long Beach Convention Center is at 300 E. Ocean Blvd.
TRANS PRIDE LONG BEACH (Saturday)
The third annual Trans Pride Long Beach festival, celebrating transgender and gender-diverse communities, is returning to Recreation Park Saturday, July 29, with entertainment, live music and resources nearly all day long.
The talent lineup features over 15 transgender, queer or trans-allied artists, including performances by the admired Trans Chorus Los Angeles, singer and songwriter Danni Cassette, trans rapper Boy Bowser and more. The celebration will also feature words from leading local figures in the trans community as well as food, drinks, a play station for children and a clothing giveaway.
The festival is free to attend. Click here for more information.
Recreation Park is at 4900 E. Seventh 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. on Saturday, July 29, eight plant-based businesses are bringing their vegan food and drink straight to you in Long Beach.
The lineup includes vendors selling vegan tamales, Asian fusion, tacos, sandwiches and more.
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 21 or older. Click here for more info.
The Hawk is at 468 W. Anaheim St.
JINYA RAMEN SUMMER SPECIAL EVENT (Saturday)
If you haven’t had the chance to try out the new ramen restaurant at 2ND & PCH, on Saturday, July 29, Jinya Ramen is throwing a special summertime promotion that promises the first 100 guests free—yes, free—ramen.
The special promotion will also be offering buy-one-get-one-free ramen meals (for those who don’t make the first 100 cut) to guests all weekend and the opportunity to win special raffle prizes such as AirPods, a 65-inch smart TV and more.
Jinya Ramen opens at 11 a.m. on Saturday, July 29. Click here for more information.
Jinya Ramen is at 6480 E. Pacific Coast Highway, Suite 130.
PLUS SIZE CLOTHING SWAP (Sunday)
Black Sheep Salon is presenting its second annual Plus Size Clothing Swap on Sunday, July 30, where guests are invited to bring their older, plus-sized clothing to trade.
All attendees need to do is bring some clothing sizes 11 and up to Long Beach Beer Lab, where you can then shop around and pick out something that catches your eye. Guests are also invited to bring used shoes (size 9 and up), as well as accessories.
This event is geared to be accessible for individuals with disabilities, so mask-wearing is encouraged (though not required), and Long Beach Beer Lab has a wheelchair-accessible entrance. Guests who have sensory sensitivities are also encouraged to bring earplugs in case the event is loud due to crowds.
The swap is free to attend and is open from noon to 4 p.m. Click here for more information.
Long Beach Beer Lab is at 518 W. Willow St.
CIDERCISE YOGA (Sunday)
If cider is at all a motivation, the Cidercise Yoga event on Sunday, July 30, at Ficklewood Ciderworks might be the carrot you need to move your body just a little more than you might normally.
The 45-minute class includes a guided yoga session by a certified instructor from Long Beach Bootcamp. And afterward, you can enjoy a flight of ciders from Ficklewood. The $35 ticket also includes a free pint glass and one week of free exercise classes from Long Beach Bootcamp.
Cidercise Yoga opens at 10 a.m. If you’ve got a yoga mat already, be sure to bring one. Click here for more information and to purchase tickets.
Ficklewood Ciderworks is at 720 E. Broadway.
LONG BEACH PRIDE ART POP-UP KICK OFF (Sunday)
Artist market organizer Bad Good Art Club has teamed up with local bar Black to present a special queer Pride pop-up on Sunday, July 30.
The free event will include a market featuring goods from LGBTQ vendors, live DJ sets and a drag show spotlighting local drag kings and queens. The pop-up is also encouraging guests to bring new or lightly worn clothing that will go toward their gender-affirming clothing drive. Make sure to try out some of the rainbow-themed cocktails and mocktails Black bar will be serving for the special event.
The pop-up will be happening from 1-5 p.m. Click here for more information.
Black bar is at 1800 E. Broadway.
SPONSORED BY THE AQUARIUM OF THE PACIFIC
AQUARIUM SHINES SPOTLIGHT ON NORTHERN ELEPHANT SEALS (Wednesday, Aug. 2)
Photo by Max Fowles.
Graceful in the water, awkward on land, the northern elephant seal is a wonder to behold. That’s why the Aquarium of the Pacific’s First Wednesdays event is offering a deep-dive into the world of seals in August, with a presentation and Q&A about the marine mammals and the remarkable Point Piedra Blancas Elephant Seal Colony.
Tim Bridwell, member and former president of Friends of the Elephant Seal organization, will share his expertise on the fascinating history and life cycle of northern elephant seals. The vocal creatures — known for roaring and grunting as the males spar and challenge each other for breeding position — are the second largest seals in the world, after southern elephant seals. Males can weigh up to 5,000 pounds; females weigh up to 1,800. The pinnipeds are so named because of the resemblance their noses have to elephant trunks.
Northern elephant seals have made an extraordinary comeback from the brink of extinction. Bridwell will talk about one specific comeback that’s happened along an eight-mile stretch of California coastline at Point Piedra Blancas Elephant Seal Colony where an estimated 25,000 elephant seals live.
“The Four Seasons of Elephant Seals” presentation and Q&A will take place Wednesday, Aug. 2, in the Honda Pacific Visions Theater. From 7 to 9 p.m., the talk will be capped off with a cash bar cocktail hour with music and craft activities in the Pacific Visions Art Gallery. Tickets are $5 in advance or $10 at the door. Reservations are required and can be made online, click here, or by calling 562-590-3100.