Attended the Greek Festival for the very first time. Yesterday 09.07.2026, Labor Day weekend…read more Bought my tickets online for $5.00 and some change, per ticket. It was a very hot sticky day! Parked about a block away from this location and entered through the security gates. Kudos for Security being present! I really did not know what to expect since I have been bypassing this place for 30 years! The workers and volunteers were all very friendly. Greeted you on your entry and guided you where places to go. As a first timer I appreciate the warm welcoming. Purchased Adult Beverage tickets. $10 for beers and $14.50 for specialty drinks like Margaritas etc. With those tickets got 1 greek beer and 1 Greek Margarita that tasted like black Licorice. Drinks were ok. Ordered two Gyros and watched a performance dance show. Was entertaining but was to darn hot to withstand the heat. Got to visit the church for the very first time. Beautiful church! Modern and young. Brought me back to Europe. Overall, the food and drinks were ok. The quantity, not so much. Everything was small for the price paid. Let's just call it overpriced drinks and food. Regardless, it benefits the Greek Orthodox Church community. I will come back again. Hoping next year will be cooler than this year. It was 100% Humidity with a 90 degree heat. Glad some area were air conditioned to cool you down. Looking forward to try out more overpriced food. :)

The Long Beach Greek festival 2026. This happens every Labor Day weekend in Long Beach the best…read moreGreek festival here in the South Bay. We always come here for the lamb chops the octopus salad, spanakopita, roasted chicken, and the pastitsio. There are games and rides for children, not very many but enough to entertain Greek ice cream vegetarian plates, and also their donuts and dessert desserts like baklava. It is an event that you should not miss.

While looking up art museums in Long Beach, the first that caught my eye was the Museum of Latin…read moreAmerican Art (MOLAA), but LBMA Downtown was the second that caught my eye since it wasn't too far from MOLAA. While I don't have a keen interest in the arts, I do appreciate good artwork shown around the city. You won't find great artwork here compared to MOLAA, but the free admission does make it worth stopping by if only for a few minutes. You can find this museum on the southwest corner of 3rd and Elm. This is *not* to be confused with LBMA, minus the Downtown. LBMA is on Ocean Blvd, and the lone staff member inside the museum was happy enough to tell me more about that museum. He was roaming about the floor before my arrival, but after my arrival, he sat at the front table with some flyers advertising their featured artists. He handed me a couple of them as well as a pin of one of these artists. The second floor was closed off to visitors, so I only had access to the first floor. And the first floor wasn't even a whole lot that I felt silly about asking if there was even a map for the museum. For such a small size, a map would have been of minimal use, and if the exhibitions change every now and then, it certainly wouldn't be of any use after the fact! I thought the artwork here paled in comparison to the ones at MOLAA, where general admission is $15, so you definitely want to keep in mind the tradeoff. Quantity wise, there is also less, but on the flip side, I can see a special event happening here with an abundance of floor space that could be used for serving wine and food. Maybe throw in a mariachi band as well for a more festive atmosphere? lol There are restrooms in the rear of the museum as well as a water fountain. The women's restroom door was initially open, and I saw a portrait inside that I *almost* walked in thinking it was another gallery! In regards to parking, I parked at one of the City Place parking garages that provide 2 hours of free parking. There are three garages that are located about 2-3 blocks west of the museum. I parked in Lot B, but Lot C is a little closer to the museum. Otherwise, your best bet would be metered parking if you really don't want to walk that far. LBMA Downtown is definitely not the most interesting museum in Long Beach, and it's definitely not worth visiting if you have to pay even just $5 to see just a few pieces of artwork. But if you happen to be in the area and can afford a few minutes before your parking timer expires, then it's worth stopping by to see what they have inside. Based on what the staff member told me about LBMA on Ocean Blvd, I think it's fair to say LBMA Downtown could be a nice preview of what LBMA has in store without having to pay the general admission fee at LBMA.

I made it for Taste of Downtown 2024 and I'm glad I did…read more I will have to say that we had fewer vendors this year than last (2023), which was disappointing, but everything else was the same - from how you could purchase tickets (in-person at the entrances OR online via Eventbrite). Just liek last year, the Taste tickets can be utilised for any of the series in the calendar year, but they do not transfer over to the following year. This year was a bit better organised because of the much closer all the vendors were, although one of the vendors ended up not showing up that year unfortunately. We didn't know until we showed up the first day and realised that the vendor was not present. As usual, parking is free for 2 hours at the nearby parking structure by Ross. And, like last year, I give the entire event a 4/5 stars primarily of the fewer vendors and the lack of notice of vendors dropping out. I also knocked a star off because cars were still passing by on Pine between 3rd and 2nd, and wish that that had been blocked off for pedestrian safety and accessibility because vehicles aren't really stopping at the pedestrian walk signs on Pine, despite LBPD being there - not that they are of any help anyway (something never changes with them, as you can tell).

The taste of downtown was another a great setting in the heart of the promenade. The majority of…read morethe booth are right off the promenade across from the Ordinaire. There were some restaurants that had booths on Pine Avenue. Bo Beau had a rocking Brussels spouts for only $3 it was enough to share with 2 people. Padres had tostadas that were piled high with Ceviche or Barbacoa. Ordinaire had a great short rib sandwich for $4. The $3 nachos from Beachwood Brewery were great! The 4th Horseman had vegan pizza and pesto pasta for $2. Algegria Cocina Latina had a great tamale coated in a creamy chowder for $2. Parking is free for 2 hour at 51 E.3rd Street. What a fun night can wait till the next one.

Hellada Art gallery is and has been showing local artists for 30 years!…read moreCurrently has the exhibition of Linda Ikeda work that is closing on Saturday Opens at 2 pm till 7 pm The artist will be there Come on in and join us! Thanks Linda

2nd Saturday Art Walk is a monthly street fair held in the East Village Arts District of Long…read moreBeach. It's held on either Linden Ave between 1st St and Broadway or sometimes on 1st St between Linden Ave and Elm. The street is closed to traffic and sides of the street are lined with artists and their work, as well as, other jewelry and craft vendors. It's a nice chill event to stroll around and admire (and hopefully purchase) the works of these talented local artists. The galleries and shops in the area remain open and you can also enjoy the festivities with a cold beer or your favorite wine with front row seating on the parklets of the wine bar and another restaurant. All of the other great coffee shops and restaurants in the area are open, as well. You will also be entertained by fire dancers, singers, musicians, and spoken word artists. If you live in the area as I do, it's a great time to hang with the neighbors.

*** Chocolate Fest was not the best ... ;( ***…read more But we had a good time, I must confess. The sun was out, even a rainbow appeared. It's just too bad, better chocolates weren't here. My lil son was excited, trembling with glee. He bit the first cake then looked sadly at me. So we moved on to search for lil dark delights 'til we stumbled upon pookies ... gooey, alright! The pookies were good, but really just a tease. Son wanted more ... this was a fest, you see? So we continued along Second looking for more. Blindly seek'n chocolates ... going door to door. Finally we saw Andrea & Erin; oh, what a sight. They bought us some crepes without any fight. We avoided that line. Devoured these crepes. They were strawberry filled, chocolatey draped. Son quiped "more". I said "you gotta be kid'n"? So we scampered along for somethin' mo' fit'n. Soon we reached La Strada, an Italiano café. Mousse filled with gelato really made my day. I ate this with pleasure; I was happy as can be. My lil brat said "oh nooo ... none of that for me"! So to Jamba Juice we went, where he gotta smoothie. I gulped a wheatgrass shot; hmm, that's kinda groovy. After a day of this fest, kid had to getta juice to smile? That tells me that this fest must improve after 'while. ;( *** For 2011: quality and organization must be better. ***

My girlfriend, lil bro, and I went here earlier and it was packed. There are a lot of people since…read moreit's also Saturday. We went to the front of Chase so we can get our $10 for 12 tickets, which it is a pretty sweet deal. We tried the Chocolate covered Rice Krispy from Legend's Sport Bar and it was good. One of the items I remembered cause it's gooey, crispy, marshmallowy, chocolatey goodness. We walked next block towards PCH and tried chocolate covered items such as oreos at Peet's Coffee with a complimentary brewed coffee. The chocolate covered oreos are delicious as well. Then we went to Taco Surf and they served Chocolate Tamales and is my favorite of all this festival's item. Taste like tamale, but in a deep chocolatey flavor.. Super gooood and can't say no more :) Moving on, next stops are Cheese Addiction's cheese brownies and Brix in the Shore's Bacon Chocolate Bread Pudding. The cheese brownies are ok and the Bacon Chocolate Bread Pudding is the bomb! It is quite unique.. Mixing chocolate and bacon together is an excellent idea. Salt and sweet together almost always are the better pairing. Then we went to Roe Express, they serve chocolate bars; their popular one is the Macha Green Tea chocolate.. Unique and melt in your mouth sweetness! Next we went to Shannon's for the chocolate martini, but costumer service sucks and they are lazy to serve us cause the reason is they're busy, which is not an excuse if you signed up to serve in this Chocolate Festival. That was a dissapointment, but moving on.. Lastly, we went to Frosted Cupcakes and guess what they serve chocolate cupcakes and this time is for cheaps. 1 ticket per cupcake is a really good deal, so we decided to spend our last tickets in it. Each of us ordered 3 cupcakes and 9 overall. Too bad, we didn't get to try the Urban Table's chocolate menu, however we had fun trying each and every restaurant's chocolate samplers. I was going to give it a 5 star, but Shannon's costumer service mess it up for us. PS: Hopefully, next year they'll make at least until 6pm so we can try more

"Lend Me A Tenor" was a fabulous show, it was so hysterical, with great acting and perfect timing…read morefrom the actors. The operatic singing scenes was pretty amazing!! Denis, their Theater Manager took wonderful care of my group, with the best seats, and we all enjoyed the show. I am going back Thursday night to see it again, that's how funny it was! Holly Jeanne, who plays Julia was just exceptional, she's probably been on TV, between how funny and animated she was and we especially loved her gorgeous glitzy gown. We looked forward to every scene she was in coming onto the stage. Caryn D, Artistic Direct/Producer really out did herself with this show, it will be a hard show to top! I've already purchased a group of seats for, "Tick, Tick....Boom!" That show also looks wonderful! This theater is so upscale and decorated like a real Broadway style theater.

ICT review Share the love! Hold open auditions! Lend out one…read moreof your theatres for artists to workshop, have year round after school theatre camps, anything! The space is beautiful and empty 90% of the time. That is just not great leadership. I share your frustration that thousands of community artists in Long Beach have nowhere to practice their craft, while the AD and her condescending side kick act like ICT is Broadway. The plays are decent. The actors vary. The direction of every play feels all the same somehow; though they claim to have guest directors. I did some digging. The theatre was a gift from her friend at the time; the mayor. They used to be in a much smaller space. I respect that they are theatre people who worked their way up. I don't respect how little they pay their employees with absolutely no benefits or even the perk of being able to use one of their stages. There was also nothing in place to keep employees during Covid, so after years of working for them, all artists and teaching artists were just cut off with no notice and no plan to sustain them. Artistically, it would be so great if they stopped using Michael Donovan to cast every damn show. The accents he coaxes from actors are just painful. And yes, get some new blood in the mix, both acting & directing! Oh and by the way caryn, if you love artists so much; let them use the space!!!!

Guided tour took about 30 minutes. Very interesting, engaging, and moving. The guide kept the…read morematerial appropriate for my kids ages. I appreciate that this educational experience exists in Long Beach, as we have much to learn from our past. They're trying to organize more opportunities for school visits. Stop by if you can...You'll need to go to the front of the EXPO building and call their number to be let into the building.

Well, it took 5 days to add this as a business, and it was posted on the phone application for Yelp…read moreunder events, but like the others, you could not check in! Better late than pregnant I always say! ============================================================ The city of Long Beach has pushed the elements, gangs, thugs & the ilk out of this area (One of many in progress) and made way via landscaping & reinventing a section of Bixby Park that not only hosted this event, but hosts other venues as well. And on a cloudy, humid, but cooler rain pending Monsoonal day, my Yelp friend Steph H had her eclectic, unique & one of a kind visionary pieces on display for a completely different journey for the eyes, visually taking you from polar bears to butterflies & more amidst others during this much overlooked Long Beach venue. Many other vendors at this event in numbers around 40-50 were offering up many crafts, handmade items, art work in water colors, oils & charcoals, some were works in progress right before your eyes-such talent and great people of many ethnicities made this event a must come & see for every citizen in the LBC! Strolling along, coffees & teas are offered up by a vendor to perk up your senses, stimulate your buying bug or, to cool you down, but what ever you needed, even a cart with churros & chips was there for the "I need to call Jenny Craig" crowd too at prices that won't break the bank! A live band, A-Capella performers, and other live entertainment, made for a few hours of a much needed get out of the house, you work from home way to much MP Saturday, and I'll for sure be back to see what's happening among an ever so crowded lightly venue at the Park known as Bixby, for The Annual Art in the Park-Long Beach. You may even purchase raffle tickets for great prizes, which proceeds go to making this venue possible & more! My fellow Yelpers, keep your eyes open, read those event tabs here on Yelp and look for this venue so as no to miss out, it is listed among many others, and is a nice addition. If nothing else you get to socially interact with many citizens of Long Beach in an environment once off limits to the decent & law abiding. I was delighted to see Steph, her extraordinary work, the talents of others, and hang out with my good Yelp Buddy Dave G. *Most of all, I enjoyed watching the children utilizing the park, swings, jungle gyms, slides and other "Be a, or be a kid just once" attractions feeling safe as parents watched not having to be hyper-vigilant, along with the presence of the LBPD too making sure that this event and others like it continue to bring back our city for what it is known for-Diversity Ad infinitum. Go on, look for the next one, even if you just go to do this, you won't be disappointed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrGLNtZ0rEg

Thanks to Michael P for getting this page up, despite all odds, lol! This annual event, occurring…read moreevery July, helps raise funds for Long Beach's historic Bixby Park, an awesome neighborhood park that's definitely on its way back from neglect and abuse and is being rediscovered by its residents! I first became aware of this event through Nancy O'Neil, another local Long Beach artist whom I met at an art show I had at Sasha's Living With Style. She's a real local arts activist and is also behind the Long Beach Women's Art Show in December. Anyway, she invited me to be a part of this event and I thought it'd be awesome to be able to show some art close to home and benefit my community as well. As a participating artist I made a donation to the Friends of Bixby Park but didn't have to pay any other fee or commission from my day's sales. It was a great opportunity to connect with other local artists, musicians, vendors and residents, and I felt it was a worthwhile thing for me to do. If I could say anything about how to make this event better, it would have to be increased publicity and artist participation. A lot of people who came by didn't even know this event was going on, and just happened to be randomly at the park. They were happy and excited to see the event, but I wish more people had known about it. However, I'm hoping that with listings like this on Yelp with reviews by established Yelpers like me and Michael P, that the word will spread and the event will only get better. Thanks to all the friends and family who did show up, however--your support was VERY much appreciated!