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.
Long Beach is celebrating its military personnel this weekend. Houghton Park honors veterans in an all-day party, and the Long Beach Community Band gives a special Veterans Day concert. In addition, the Long Beach Symphony presents “Gershwin and Friends” at the Terrace Theater; a Pink Floyd laser spectacular comes to the Carpenter Performing Arts Center; and an author talk takes place at Page Against the Machine.
Long Beach Veterans Day celebration (Saturday, Nov. 9)
Houghton Park will host the city’s Veterans Day celebration from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., but the party will be expanded this year into the streets. It will coincide with Beach Streets, a popular open-streets event that will shut down stretches of Atlantic Avenue and Artesia Boulevard so pedestrians and cyclists can roam free.
This event will feature a resources fair, all-day DJ sets by Mr. Quick, live music by The Satin Dollz and Knyght Ryder, flyovers with historic aircraft, food trucks and a beer garden, a boot camp-style obstacle course, skateboarding lessons and demos, a kids zone and the Aquarium of the Pacific’s Aquarium on Wheels.
Houghton Park is at 6301 Myrtle Ave. For more information, click here.
Gershwin and Friends (Saturday, Nov. 9)
Long Beach Symphony presents “Gershwin and Friends” at the Long Beach Terrace Theater at 7:30 p.m. A pre-concert talk begins at 6:30 p.m.
Organizers say the performance will pay homage to American music “with an exquisite celebration of diverse musical cultures, influences, identities, and expressive forms where the melodies echo the origins and spirit of America in a harmonious and colorful celebration of past and present.”
The Terrace Theater is at 300 E. Ocean Blvd. For more information and tickets, call 562-436-3203, ext. 1 or visit longbeachsymphony.org.
Pink Floyd Laser Spectacular (Saturday, Nov. 9)
Carpenter Performing Arts Center presents a Pink Floyd Laser Spectacular from 8 to 9:30 p.m.
A cult favorite, according to the Carpenter Center, the show features original master recordings of Pink Floyd songs set to “mind-blowing visuals in the ultimate laser light show!”
It will include classic Floyd songs from “Dark Side of the Moon” and “The Wall” backed by displays from high-powered lasers and large-screen video projection.
The Carpenter Performing Arts Center is at 6200 E. Atherton St. Tickets. Tickets cost $48.75. For more information and tickets, visit carpenterarts.org/event/pink-floyd-laser-spectactular.
Veterans Day Concert (Monday, Nov. 11)
The Long Beach Community Band presents a Veterans Day concert at the Long Beach VA from 10 to 11:45 a.m.
Like with all of the band’s concerts, admission is free. The public can join in to honor veterans by attending.
The VA is at 5901 E. Seventh St. For more information, visit longbeachcommunityband.org.
Author Talk (Tuesday, Nov. 12)
Page Against the Machine welcomes Obi Kaufmann who will discuss and sign copies of his book “The State of Fire: Why California Burns” at 7 p.m.
Kaufmann’s book examines the ecological crisis in California’s wildlands and forests where fires have become deadlier than ever before. He tackles the topic by examining some of the worst fires in modern history alongside the ecology, future and science of wildfires.
Page Against the Machine is at 2714 E. Fourth St. For more information, visit patmbooks.com.