What a great event. New venue has the room to enjoy the music and food and share time with…read morefriends. Last night New Order has all of Long Beach out. Can't wait for day 2. Let's do some music

The taste tent is done by 7:30 pm on sunday.... really? MUSIC TASTES NO GOOD!…read more Pizzanista at $8 a slice of thin crust is all you're left with.

This convention was amazing! I came Saturday and event…read morestarted at 11am. I parked at the pike which was $12 for the day. Walked about a block to the convention and the line was already moving ( people that came early were lining up for hours in the sun) However if u arrive a few minutes after 11 it's a breeze to walk in. It was a bit over whelming inside. Soooooo many activities. Hint come here with a plan! lol Also bring water and a portable Fan, it gets really hot inside due to the amount of ppl inside. There's so many cool horror attractions ( get there early for the horror mazes). There's a ton of cool photo ops, celebrity signings and small shops to buy from. There's plenty of food trucks outside as well as near by restaurants

My wife and I really didn't plan on going to Midsummer Scream this year - I can't stress enough how…read morelast minute we found out about it, let alone how last minute we bought tickets for it! But sometimes you just gotta leap headfirst into an adventure and hope for the best! The Midsummer Scream Halloween & Horror Convention is held yearly at the Long Beach Convention Center for one weekend in August. Friday it's from 6PM-10PM, Saturday is from 11AM-7PM, and Sunday is from 11AM-6PM. Friday tickets are $40, Saturday tickets are $57, and Sunday tickets are $52. If you're not scared to spend, you can get a weekend pass for $73. If you're truly fearless, the VIP Gold Bat Pass is $199 that gives you priority access to admission (you can enter at 10AM), priority entry for panels/presentations/attractions, commemorative lanyard/badge & pin, and admission to the Saturday night party. We bought tickets for Sunday as it was the only thing not sold out. We arrived at the convention center around 9:40AM and it was packed from all sides! There are two main entrances on both sides of the center, so it really doesn't matter which side you choose. Both sides are split into multiple general admission lines. They passed out free tote bags and there were some people in horror costumes to take pictures with. Speaking of which, if you ever wanted to let your freak flag fly high and go all out dressing up, you couldn't have picked a better place! Loads of fans came dressed up in costumes and make-up - if you think you're overdoing it, you're not! Once the doors opened, the lines were quick to be guided inside (unless you have a bag, in which case security had to clear you). The ground floor had some photo ops and some food vendors. The main convention floor is below but wheelchair accessible (lots of disabled fans were present). They had a map of the area, but honestly unless you're there for a specific thing or person, just roam around! Horror and Halloween fans galore! It gets more crowded the later it gets, so the early fan gets the worm! The Hall of Shadows is its own section and features tons of mini haunted attractions like mazes, houses, and photo-ops. Very low-light and plenty of fog machines so watch where you're going! The Screaming Room showcases short films from around the world. The Black Cat Lounge is filled with cats to pet, cuddle or adopt. Paranormal Pixie's Pumpkin Patch is a gore-free and scare-free kid corner area with performances, book readings, coloring, and other child-friendly activities. Speaking of which, children 10 and under get free general admission to the convention with a paid adult guardian (2 free kids max per adult). The show floor is the biggest area and completely covered with vendors, celebrity booths, horror-themed coffee & treats, and much much more. If you're looking for make-up, they got it. If you're looking for cheap movies to buy, they got it. If you're looking for clothes/costumes/merch, they got it. You'll basically find anything and everything horror/Halloween related here, so make sure to get your steps in! There are also several photo-ops in every crevice and corner, so remember to charge your phone or bring your fancy cameras! We tried the Gorchata (horchata latte with pumpkin cold foam) from Coffinated Coffee, a churro cheesecake from Lunas Sweets and Treats, and a lemonade from a random stand. There are some food trucks out back and plenty of restaurants in the immediate area if you want actual food. We hit up every booth that had a spin wheel for free prizes like free/discounted tickets for Haunted Hayride, Magic of the Jack O'Lanterns, Evil Dead in concert, Street Food Cinema, and stickers/candy. Movie studios and theme parks had their own special photo-ops. Overall we had a blast for our first time at Midsummer Scream! Lots of things to see and do, lots of nice horror fans to interact with, lots of money to spend if you're not careful! Probably the biggest/only downside is that there are literally no places to sit, so be prepared to be on your feet all day! We saw some tables out back near the food truck area, but we were on our way to exit anyways. There's plenty of parking lots/garages in the area for different prices so don't stress over it (just remember where you parked though). We'd love to come back, but maybe next year we'll spring for the weekend passes so we can take our time and strategize better.

So much fun writing messages and sending them off! Beautiful display of lights! Will visit againread more

Strange awful waste of money. Totally random collection of blow up decorations - Halloween,…read moreChristmas, Day of the Dead, Jurassic Park...WTF? - scattered around the parking lot of a mall, surrounded by booths for Chinese travel agencies, food, Chinese wedding planners and carnival games. Boring, strange and a total rip off. Avoid at all costs.

I came across 2 yelp pages for this event and I'm leaving my review on both because this is the…read morefirst page I came across for it and this was doesn't have any reviews from last night so here is a copy of my other review Wow ok so I clicked interested in this event on Facebook and my boyfriend prematurely bought tickets to surprise me. After I found out we were going I looked up the yelp reviews and was severely disappointed. We went ahead and downgraded our ticket from vip to GA since we figured it would be a bust and didn't wanna throw away more money. This event was nothing like last years! We had a really great time. There were no lines for anything. The tots were like buffet style? And I never saw people waiting for them. There was a little alley with fun old games and there was usually one open. They had a larger scale Jenga. Not the huge one but much bigger than the standard. There was a main stage on that floor and lots of fun seating around there. Mini golf we did not check out. It looked small and my boyfriend said it wasn't free. There was lots of music and fun seating all around. Nice large pillow fort where the karaoke was. The munchie station there was giving out cereal. They had an inflatable horse race I wanted to try out until I saw someone fall forward on their face (would have been me too!) the guy running that was really fun and nice, thanking us on our way out. They also had this weird room where you draw on everything including men in bodysuits plus another area to play with play-doh. There was a cool old hippie bus to hang in. We didn't take part in the silent disco or the prophet but the prophet always had people in there and we didn't want to interrupt. Cool concepts on both though. There was also a cool smokers lounge. There was lights and visuals everywhere that really make it feel like a kaleidoscope. They have obviously stepped it up significantly from last year and I wish I would have had some good photos to prove it but they also had good bars with strong drinks ( and I did I mention the cool smokers lounge?) I HIGHLY recommend this event and would even go next year if they keep it at this level and maybe add some different experiences. (Keep the mini golf, wanna try that 4/20/20)

We had SO much fun! This was such a magical little surprise, and we really enjoyed it. I hope they…read moredo another one so I can go again!

Twenty-two years and going strong, that's the Santa Monica Festival not me, if only. Although 90+…read moredegree heat was predicted, a light marine layer, cool ocean breezes created a pleasant backdrop to showcase this year's sustainability themed event, as well as, events within like, the Juneteenth Celebration, A Taste of Summer with the Annenberg Beach House and the Santa Monica Farmers Market Challenge which pitted Nyesha Arrington http://www.bravotv.com/top-chef/season-9/bio/nyesha-arrington and Josie Le Balch http://www.josierestaurant.com/ to create a $15 meal for four. I fear this foodie was a festival wimp because I was too wiped to hang out for their food fight. A myriad of activities for folks of all ages with kids really digging the Big Blue Bus and trash recycling truck to hop on and explore. The free bike valet http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/santa-monica-festival-santa-monica-2?select=vH2e66N3SWb9kldxGYxzyg#uVsNV593GV0zcfWGsam18g encouraged leaving the car at home as my friends and I did. Plenty of food trucks http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/santa-monica-festival-santa-monica-2?select=vH2e66N3SWb9kldxGYxzyg#8h3JhmFhSm4yY2dSUK3G3g and even a fashionmobile http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/santa-monica-festival-santa-monica-2?select=vH2e66N3SWb9kldxGYxzyg#_UknuOz5Hw8CSlqpB0GlAw ! Santa Monica is indeed a city of cultural activities and well-honed services to be taken advantage of by all. More here: http://www.smgov.net/Portals/Culture/content.aspx?id=15035 Highlight for me was artist Cassandra Tondro's http://tondro.com/ "From Cans to Canvas" interactive painting experience http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/santa-monica-festival-santa-monica-2?select=vH2e66N3SWb9kldxGYxzyg#wUrJjuqoQeDWgII5lKypig http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/santa-monica-festival-santa-monica-2?select=vH2e66N3SWb9kldxGYxzyg#1rjspkly2CXSvNRTZ6H9sg If you missed today's festival, do bookmark it for 2014, trust me, it's worth it!

We came, we saw, we thronged! From a distance, the Santa Monica Festival at Clover Park looked like…read moreany other free outdoor community event, a weekend sea of pedestrians and rows of white tents and bold lettered banners. But Saturday was cool, Clover's grass was green, and the atmosphere was indeed festive. There were several options for free or metered parking in supervised lots within walking distance, making at least our vehicular arrival and departure quick and painless. After leaving the car, we made a beeline for the park's restrooms, where, as it typically happens whenever we step out to a fairground, we spent a considerable chunk of our visit waiting our turns in slow-moving lines. Plenty of music filled our ears while we waited, especially the notes coming from center stage, where a featured group, The Lions, sounded particularly captivating. We quietly joined standing watchers later on, just in time to see The Lions wrap up their soulful and energetic gig. Festival treats were also close at hand, so we couldn't miss tasting Linde's old-fashioned sugar roasted almonds. We followed our noses to her popular table where I impulsively grabbed us a couple of warm paper cones in a sweet twofer deal. Linde jokingly asked if we were unable to share, to which I honestly replied, "yes." It was a fair-tastic time. The usual apparel gifts and arts-and-craftsy things were available for passers-by to browse and purchase, and interactive activities engaged families, kids, and kids-at-heart. It seemed apparent to us after one walk-through that the city government was out to connect with and educate visitors in exchange for cheap swag and fun, with a number of public service kiosks that let you spin wheels and answer questions for prizes. We didn't get around to checking everything out (see Tess M.'s yelp here: http://bit.ly/11hmlqO for some neat things we missed), but all in all, the Festival was pleasant and low-key, which is pretty much Santa Monica in a nutshell.

This was a pretty fun event - not cheap, but fun. The ticket booths at the entrance were really…read moredisorganized and slow. We could not figure out why it was taking so long for each customer. Then, supervisor dude in pig hat started to sell admission tickets, cash only, on the side of the lines and that was awesome!! So apparently the ticket booths were slow because of credit card transactions or just customer indecision about what to buy? We heard supervisor pig hat dude talking to his staff at the end of the days about ideas for next year on how to alleviate the congestion, so hopefully it will run more smoothly! $10.00 admission just gets you in the door, then $10.00 for 5 BBQ tastes and $10.00 for 5 Beer tastes. The highlight for me was Three Men & A Smoker - they had delicious bacon wrapped meatballs and this super smokey corn souffle! My other favorite was Que'n & Brew'n and their Moink Balls - also bacon wrapped meatballs! If there were any other bacon wrapped meatballs at that festival, they would have also been my favorite! I'm monotonous and boring, I know. I felt bad for customers coming late in the day because the Beer area was totally depleted and out of samples. But there were still booths with BBQ! Definitely a fun time with live music and lots of happy tummies!

I've watched the OC BBQ Festival grow over the last few years, and it's been fun to participate --…read moreeither as a visitor or as a judge. The competition has always drawn local teams from around the area, from 20 teams in its inception to a whopping 70 teams this year. In years past, there was just the car show and a few vendors. For this year, they really increased the amount of entertainment and family fun activities. That's probably part of the reason why the admission price was raised, but all of the proceeds go to charity. If the event organizers are reading, I would suggest having some sort of an "early-bird" admission price, starting at $10 and gradually raising the price as things get closer to the event. At a lower price point, you could bring in a lot more people through the gates, that's for sure.

It was my first time going to one of these events and had an amazing time! Went with a couple of…read morefriends and did one day only. Came to check out deadmau5 and Calvin Harris. Wished I got a chance to check out the other performers. I would suggest to get dropped off since parking is insane! Also, wear comfy shoes that u don't mind getting dirty. Be prepared to get dirt all over it and getting them stepped on by other people (rude!). A huge negative are the porta potties. DISGUSTING. I mean, I don't expect them to be clean or smelling like roses. But it got so bad that I stopped drinking alcohol And water just so I won't pee!!! Yea...that bad. I won't go graphic on how it looked. Also FYI they don't check bags as thoroughly as they do with you. They pat you down like nobody's business.

HARDfest's Halloween installment, wisely planned the weekend after Insomniac's Escape from…read moreWonderland, brought an impressive lineup and dense crowds to the Los Angeles State Historic Park. It was a BLAST. And now it's time for a breakdown! LOCATION & PARKING 5 stars here. LA State Historic Park is a 20-minute walk from Union Station (and even closer to the Chinatown stop of the Gold Line), and HARD worked with the LA Metro to provide free rides on all Metro lines for anyone with a ticket. SCORE. And if you planned ahead like me, you found a station with free onsite parking (although it may have been far away, at least you didn't have to sit in traffic to get to your destination!). A festival that encourages you to save money on both gas AND parking is already awesome in my book. GETTING IN & OUT This is the single biggest reason that this event wasn't 5 stars for me. Some things can't really be helped, like a rowdy crowd, but about an hour and a half after the music started, apparently some people moved some bike racks that had been used as barricades and totally messed up the lines to get in. HARD had to reset a bunch of stuff and so by the time I got there (punishment for being late?), I stood in a huge, nebulous crowd with no idea where the entrance was and no clue when I'd ever reach it. I can tolerate this bullshit when I have a bajillion decibels coming at me and lazers melting my eyes, but just to get in? I'm ready to murder the next person who so much as brushes up against my shoulder. Overheard in the crowd: "C'mon man, don't make me smoke all my weed out HERE!" I understand that bad crowds aren't necessarily the organizers' fault. BUT a bullhorn and a soapbox would have been really useful at this point. SOMEthing to let us know what was going on, or that we were even in the right place. Instead there was a slow movement as people were let in and eventually I found myself at the entrance, 40 minutes later, having missed the first set that I wanted to see. EVENT LAYOUT Super manageable. In some cases, almost too close. There were four stages with - true to form - a small variety of genres to please different palates. You had moombahton tucked in the back, dubstep towards the middle, the big headliners on the main stage, and even a smaller stage (charmingly called the Red Bull "DIscotheque") for funky house. This was a great setup, even though at some points there was a little sound bleed between the Red Bull stage and the main HARD Stage. But walking from one end of the event to the other was less than 10 minutes. There was an assortment of food and beverage vendors, but it was $4 waters for me all night. CROWD Yeah, so we talked about the bike racks. That aside, this was another super cool crowd. Less dressed up than Escape the weekend prior, I think, but overall super chill. I actually was meeting up with friends, but in some cases had lost them by the end of the evening, or didn't even get a chance to meet up with them before my battery went dead. No matter; there were plenty of people around and striking up conversations and making festival friends was a piece of cake...it's actually part of the experience. One note about cell phone service in the LA State Historic Park: IT SUCKS. Even with my robust Verizon 4G megamegamegabattery phone, it still ate up half the battery life just getting a signal. If the damn thing didn't double as a camera, I'd have opted to leave it behind. MUSIC Noooooo complaints here. Justice. Major Lazer telling people to throw shit up in the air (for reals! https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151139787248920&set=a.391711083919.169340.7739623919&type=1&theater). Bro Safari. Knife Party yelling at some clown to get down off the truss. Soul Clap playing Ronnie Hudson's 1982 "West Coast Poplock" from which you'd recognize Tupac's "California Love" chorus, and making several new fans (one here!). Overall it was a ridiculously fun night under the stars and a great way to send out a spectacular Halloween week. Come for the music, come for the lights, stay for the experience, because it doesn't have to end just 'cause they're shutting it down at 2!

It's always fun to go to the Abbot Kinney Festival. Lots to look at. Before the pandemic there…read morewere more bars on Abbot Kinney, not so much now.

Just another great way to harold the end of summer…read more.. AKF is thrown annually, stretches the entire length of Abbot Kinney Blvd. and has a little of everything: * YES - Lotsa food stands w/ interesting offerings (ie: Hotato's "chips" on a stick) * YES - Jewelry stands: both affordable and some pricier * YES - Art, signage & poster, clothing/tee stands * YES - Live music & DJ * YES - Fun people watching * YES - Most of AKB's original shops are open as well * WOA: - Street (free) parking. Tons of bikes were parked as well. - Pet-friendly. - Pretty clean; they were smart in placing tons of trash cans throughout. Too bad it's only hosted once a year.