Making Friends in the LBC Highlights
- Making friends in Long Beach often requires effort and intentionality, especially as an adult.
- Engaging in community activities like sports leagues, yoga, and book clubs provides great opportunities for friendship.
- Specific groups like the Long Beach Walking Club and LGBTQ+ organizations offer tailored support for building connections.
- Events like Bixby Knolls First Fridays and local comedy nights encourage socializing in a low-pressure environment.
- Consistency is key; show up regularly to foster friendships and become part of the community.
This past year I joined a book club in Long Beach. But I’ll be honest with you, I didn’t join because I wanted to make friends in Long Beach. I joined because I’m a book nerd and I wanted an excuse to talk about books with other humans instead of just yelling my opinions into the void. (I mean, let’s be real, I still yell my opinions, but now I just do it on this platform–thanks guys! Anyway, I digress.) What I did not expect was to walk out of that first hang out with actual friends. Real ones. The kind who text you about Long Beach city council drama at 9pm on a Tuesday and remember what you said three book club events ago about your daughter.
We meet once a month or so, and yes, we do technically talk about books. But we also talk about Long Beach politics, neighborhood drama, our personal lives, the restaurants that just opened, the ones that should never have closed, and whatever is collectively pissing us off that week. These women are my people now. I didn’t see that coming, and I’m not mad about it.
It got me thinking about how hard making friends in Long Beach actually is — especially once you’re past the school years and your social circle is no longer handed to you. Nobody tells you that adult friendships require actual effort and intention. You have to seek them out. You have to show up. And then you have to keep showing up.
So if you’re wondering how to make friends in Long Beach — whether you just moved here or you’ve been here a while and still haven’t found your besties — here’s what we as locals actually swear by. Because this city has more going on than most people realize. You just have to know where to look.
Sports Leagues for When You Want a Ready-Made Group of Friends in Long Beach
Sometimes the fastest way to make friends in Long Beach is to join a team and let proximity and shared suffering do the work.
Volitude Sports runs beach volleyball, kickball, and other team sports leagues in Belmont Shore where you can sign up as an individual and get placed on a team. Multiple people credit it directly for how they met their closest LBC friends.
For the pickleball crowd — and you know who you are — the City of Long Beach runs classes at Billie Jean King Tennis and Pickleball Center and El Dorado Tennis and Pickleball Center. Community drop-in play and beginner lessons run Tuesday and Thursday mornings at Marina Vista Park (5401 Sutter Dr) and throughout the week at Somerset Park (2209 Snowden Ave). One person mentioned their very introverted husband came home from his first session talking to everyone on the court — which should tell you everything you need to know about pickleball culture.
And for the LGBTQ+ community, OutLoud Sports Long Beach is the nation’s original queer recreational sports league, founded in 2007, with leagues in dodgeball, kickball, tennis, soccer, beach volleyball, bowling, darts, and more. Everyone is welcome regardless of experience or identity.
Free Yoga on the Bluff Is the Classic Answer to How to Make Friends in Long Beach
If you’ve lived in Long Beach for more than five minutes and haven’t heard about Yoga on the Bluff at Bixby Park, I don’t know what to tell you. Run by Yogalution Movement, it’s free — donations accepted but never required — and happens every single morning at 11am, seven days a week, year-round at the bluffs near the corner of E Ocean Blvd and Junipero Ave. From April through October, evening classes are added Monday through Friday at 6pm. It’s been the number one answer to how to make friends in Long Beach on every Reddit thread, every local Facebook group, and every conversation I’ve ever had with someone who’s successfully built a social life here. Bring a mat, sunscreen, and water. Just show up. That’s it.
Long Beach Walking Club Is the Women’s Community You Didn’t Know You Needed
If you’re a woman looking for friends in Long Beach, this one is for you. Long Beach Walking Club has 21,000 Instagram followers for a reason. It’s a free community organization for women 18+ built around organized walks, social hours, fitness events, and giving back to the city. Completely free to join, no membership fees. They post their monthly schedule on Instagram, use the BFF app and Geneva to connect members between events, and RSVP is required for most walks. Find them at @longbeachwalkingclub — one of the most direct answers to making friends in Long Beach as a woman that I can give you.
Run Clubs Are Having a Moment and Long Beach Has Some of the Best
If you’re serious about making friends in Long Beach and you have any tolerance for physical activity, run clubs are your secret weapon.
Long Beach Run Club meets every Tuesday at 7pm at the corner of Ocean Blvd and Coronado Ave — completely free, all paces welcome, good vibes mandatory. They regularly end up somewhere to eat or drink after, which is where the actual friendships get made. Follow them on Instagram at @longbeach.runclub.
Downtown Runners LB meets every third Wednesday at Beachwood Blendery (247 Long Beach Blvd) for a 5K-ish run starting at 6:30pm, followed by $2-off beers for participants.
For the LGBTQ+ community, Shoreline Frontrunners of Long Beach has been running since 1984 — yes, 1984 — with Tuesday and Thursday evening runs at 6:30pm and Saturday mornings at 9am, all meeting at Redondo Ave and Ocean Blvd. Every second Saturday includes a post-run brunch at Belmont Brewing Company (25 39th Pl). One of the longest-running queer community organizations in the city and genuinely welcoming to all paces. Follow them at @lbfrontrunners.
Long Beach Food Club Is the Community Event This City Deserved
Okay, check this out. If you’re looking for a fun, low-pressure way to make friends in Long Beach, Long Beach Food Club might be your answer. It describes itself as “like a book club but for restaurants” — founder Sherwin Souzankari picks a different locally-owned Long Beach restaurant every two weeks, announces it on Instagram, and invites people to come eat and meet each other. As he states on his IG: No AI, no influencers, no agenda. Just real people connecting through food and supporting local businesses.
They launched in January 2026, have grown steadily, and now regularly fill entire restaurants. Always free to attend. Find them at @longbeachfoodclub on Instagram and join the group chat — this is exactly the kind of thing Long Beach needed more of.
Cooking Classes, Book Clubs, and the Niche Groups That’ll Find Your People Faster
Here’s the real secret to making friends in Long Beach: find your specific people. Don’t just go somewhere generic and hope for the best — find the group that’s already doing the thing you love and walk through the door.
My friend Sylvia from book club just told me about Locali Seasoned at Partake Collective (456 Elm Ave, Long Beach), which does hands-on cooking classes led by local chefs followed by a shared group dinner. Nigerian cuisine, sushi-making, Mexican cooking with margaritas — the format is specifically designed for conversation, which means you’ll actually talk to people.
For book clubs and friends in Long Beach who actually read: Grim Readers of Long Beach has an active Facebook group and the vibe is legitimately good. Page Turners Anonymous is searchable on Meetup. And honestly, even if you end up like me — talking about Long Beach politics more than the actual book — that’s still a win.
Long Beach Social Club on Meetup is designed specifically to help all you Gen Z-ers and young Millennials with making friends in Long Beach through bonfires, beach walks, and brewery hangouts. Long Beach Geeks runs book clubs, board game nights, tabletop RPG sessions, and miniature painting events for anyone whose people lean nerdy. There’s also a Mahjong club (this is my next hobby! Thanks Stephanie!) and — I love this city — a Taco Bell Drawing Club, both searchable on Meetup.
Beachwood Brewing in Bixby Knolls (3630 Atlantic Ave) hosts a Literary Society on the second Wednesday of each month and a music listening club that’s like a book club but for albums — full listening parties track by track. RSVP required; check their events page for the next one.
Bixby Knolls First Fridays and Retro Row Fourth Fridays Are Made for Making Friends in Long Beach
Both of these recurring events are specifically designed for the kind of low-stakes social browsing that makes making friends in Long Beach feel natural instead of forced. Bixby Knolls First Fridays happen every first Friday of the month along Atlantic Avenue with businesses open late, local art, and live music. Fourth Fridays on Retro Row brings out the creative crowd along 4th Street between Walnut Ave and Temple Ave with galleries, vendors, and a neighborhood-block-party feel. Both are the kind of events where you show up alone and leave with someone’s number — especially if you make a habit of going back.
Long Beach Comedy and Theater: The Underrated Way to Make Friends in Long Beach
Nobody talks about this enough but the comedy and theater scene in Long Beach is genuinely solid, and there’s something about laughing together that fast-tracks connection in a way that sitting at a bar never quite does.
The Laugh Factory at the Pike (110 W Broadway, Long Beach) runs regular shows — check their calendar for current lineups and ticket prices. The 4th Horseman (121 W 4th St) has Dead Funny, a free monthly comedy night every third Thursday. Que Sera (1923 E 7th St) has Bear City, a free comedy show every Wednesday. Bamboo Club (3522 E Anaheim St) runs Tiki Haha the third Thursday of each month ($12, tiki drinks included). The Pike Restaurant and Bar (1836 E 4th St) has Think Tank comedy the third Tuesday of the month.
For theater, The Garage Theatre (251 E 7th St) does indie productions with a reliably interesting crowd. The Long Beach Playhouse (5021 E Anaheim St) and The Carpenter Center (6200 Atherton St at CSULB) both have year-round programming.
Plantiitas (2011 E 4th St on Retro Row) is the queer and immigrant-owned plant shop that runs monthly drag bingo, paint nights, yoga sessions, embroidery workshops, and mental health pop-ups. It’s a genuine community space that the neighborhood rallied to save in 2025 and is very much still open and thriving. Open daily 11am–6pm. Follow @plantiitas.
Live Music and Nightlife for People Who Want Real Friends in Long Beach
This is where Long Beach really shows off. ISM Brewing (210 E 3rd St, Downtown Long Beach) hosts live cumbia every second Friday with Cello Azul — a band built around electric cello that I cannot recommend enough. The Grasshopper (2416 E Anaheim St) hosts Puro Party monthly with DJ duo Las Chicas Tristes and runs all-vinyl nights on the regular. Good Luck Vinyl Club does vinyl DJ pop-ups around the city and is worth following on Instagram.
For live music venues, the most-loved locally are Alex’s Bar (2913 E Anaheim St), Que Sera (1923 E 7th St), Vine on 4th (2142 E 4th St), and The 4th Horseman (121 W 4th St). For vinyl community and in-store shows, Fingerprints Records (420 E 4th St) and Foot Work Records & Lounge (400 E 3rd St,) are the local institutions.
Moonlight Mash is a monthly full-moon community bike ride through Long Beach streets — crowds have hit 200+ riders, everyone is welcome, and after-ride hangouts happen at ISM Brewing. It meets at Pedal Movement (223 E 1st St). Meet at 7:30pm, roll out at 8pm. Check @moonlightmashlongbeach for the next date. LBC Night Skate meets every Wednesday evening for anyone on wheels, also launching from the Junipero area — follow @lbc_night_skate for details.
Karaoke and Trivia: The Sneaky Best Strategy for Making Friends in Long Beach
Bar trivia and karaoke work for friend-making because they give you something to actually do together, which makes talking to strangers exponentially less weird. You don’t have to be good at either. You just have to keep showing up to the same place until the bartender knows your name and the regulars know your face.
Alex’s Bar (2913 E Anaheim St) runs free karaoke every Tuesday starting at 8pm — get there early because the list fills up fast. They also do trivia on Wednesdays (Brain Party Trivia, also free) and live music almost every other night.
The Blind Donkey (149 Linden Ave, Downtown) does karaoke on Wednesdays and Sundays, open 7 days a week 5pm–2am. Underground speakeasy vibes, best whiskey selection in the city, plus pool, darts, skee-ball, Pac-Man, and shuffleboard in the game room.
The Stache Bar (941 E 4th St on Retro Row) does karaoke every Sunday at 9pm with resident KJ Jason. Open daily from 11am.
Port City Tavern (4306 E Anaheim St, Zaferia District) does karaoke on Mondays plus live DJs on Fridays and Saturdays. Open Monday–Thursday from 4pm, Friday–Sunday from noon.
On the Broadway Corridor, Broadway Cocktails (3045 E Broadway) has been running karaoke Fridays and Saturdays for over 40 years and has been voted Long Beach’s best karaoke bar more than once. The Silver Fox (411 Redondo Ave) does Mondays and Wednesdays. Falcon North (3334 E Broadway) does Thursdays and Sundays. Basically there is no night of the week in this city where you cannot find a microphone.
For trivia: Beachwood Blendery (247 Long Beach Blvd, Downtown) runs free Trivia Tuesdays starting at 7pm — hosted by @thinkydrinky, prizes, $6 full pour beers. Free to play, no sign-up required. Beachwood Brewing in Bixby Knolls (3630 Atlantic Ave) runs its own separate trivia night — two locations, two shots at a new team. The Firkin Pub & Grill (3411 E Broadway), Rasselbock Kitchen & Beer Garden (4020 Atlantic Ave), and Trademark Brewing (233 E Anaheim St) all have loyal trivia regulars who’ve been coming back for years. Trademark also does cornhole tournaments, viewing parties, and brewery yoga because they really committed to the bit. The Wicked Wolf (2332 Pacific Ave) runs board games on Wednesday evenings if you’d rather play Catan than answer pop culture questions.
How to Make Friends in Long Beach as Part of the LGBTQ+ Community
This city has been a queer haven long before it was trendy to say so, and that history shows up in the infrastructure.
The LGBTQ Center Long Beach is located at 2017 E 4th St, right next to the Art Theater on Fourth Street. They offer over 20 weekly drop-in social and support groups plus health services, legal assistance, and cultural programming. The hub of the organized queer community and the first stop for anyone new to the city.
The Broadway Corridor — that stretch of East Broadway between Downtown and Belmont Shore — has a concentration of gay-owned and gay-friendly businesses significant enough to be called Long Beach’s gayborhood. The bars here have been operating for decades: The Falcon (1435 E Broadway), Sweetwater Saloon (1201 E Broadway), and Broadway Cocktails (3045 E Broadway) are the anchors.
Wholesome Queers is a friendship-focused LGBTQ+ social group that does walks, hikes, museum visits, and neighborhood exploring — explicitly designed around time spent together, not just going to bars. They welcome newcomers, BIPOC, and neurodivergent queer folks and run events most weekends. Queer Parents LB is a nature-based queer parent meetup group supporting BIPOC, queer, trans, and non-binary parents. And OutLoud Sports Long Beach (mentioned above in sports) is the queer sports league this city deserves.
Making Friends in Long Beach When You Don’t Drink
More of what’s on this list is alcohol-free than you’d think. Yoga on the Bluff, the run clubs, the walking club, pickleball, Long Beach Food Club, Moonlight Mash, Plantiitas events, Fourth Fridays, cooking classes — none of these require a drink in your hand.
The Friendship Club runs Screen-Free Saturdays weekly at The Willmore (315 W 3rd St) — board games, puzzles, books, real conversation, no phones, no screens. Long Beach Public Library has free programming year-round across multiple branch locations — check their online events calendar. There’s also a Long Beach Alcohol-Free Activities group searchable on Meetup.com.
The Instagram Accounts to Follow If You Actually Want to Find Friends in Long Beach
If you want to stay in the loop on what’s happening, these are the accounts that will actually tell you: @longbeachfoodclub, @longbeachwalkingclub, @moonlightmashlongbeach, @longbeach.runclub, @dtlballiance, @4thstreetlb, and @lbcvibe.
The Real Secret to Making Friends in Long Beach
Here’s what I’ve learned from my own experience and from every person I’ve talked to who has successfully figured out how to make friends in Long Beach: it’s not about finding the perfect event or the right group. It’s about consistency. You pick one or two things that genuinely interest you, you show up, and then you show up again. And again. Until familiar faces become real people who text you on a Tuesday about city council drama.
That’s how my book club became my people. That’s how making friends in Long Beach works.
This city genuinely rewards the people who show up for it. The friends in Long Beach you’re looking for are already out there doing the thing. You just have to walk through the door.
FAQs
The most consistent advice from Long Beach locals is to pick one recurring activity and show up to it regularly. Making friends in Long Beach works the same way it works everywhere — through repetition and familiarity. The difference here is that Long Beach has an unusually strong infrastructure for it: free yoga every morning at Bixby Park, weekly run clubs, sports leagues, book clubs, food clubs, trivia nights, comedy shows, and community events happening constantly across every neighborhood. You don’t have to be outgoing or have a game plan. You just have to keep showing up to the same place until familiar faces turn into actual people.
Long Beach has a surprisingly long list of free ways to make friends. Yoga on the Bluff at Bixby Park (corner of E Ocean Blvd and Junipero Ave) happens every morning at 11am and is genuinely one of the most welcoming community spaces in the city. Long Beach Run Club meets every Tuesday at 7pm at Ocean and Coronado — free, no sign-up, all paces welcome. Long Beach Walking Club is free for women 18+ and posts their monthly event calendar on Instagram at @longbeachwalkingclub. Long Beach Food Club meets every two weeks at a locally-owned restaurant and is always free to attend. Fourth Fridays on Retro Row and Bixby Knolls First Fridays are both free neighborhood events. Trivia at Beachwood Blendery is free on Tuesday nights. Making friends in Long Beach doesn’t have to cost anything.
Yes — more so than most of Los Angeles. Long Beach has a genuine neighborhood culture that LA proper often lacks. The communities here are tight-knit, the bars and breweries function as actual gathering places, and there’s a strong tradition of community-organized events that exist specifically to connect people. Locals consistently describe it as easier to strike up a conversation with a stranger in Long Beach than anywhere else in SoCal. The city also has an unusually high density of community groups — run clubs, walking clubs, sports leagues, book clubs, food clubs — that are designed for exactly this purpose. If you’re wondering how to make friends in Long Beach after moving here, the short answer is: start showing up to something.
Completely doable — and honestly, Long Beach is better set up for this than most cities. Yoga on the Bluff, the run clubs, the walking club, pickleball, Long Beach Food Club, Moonlight Mash, Plantiitas events, Fourth Fridays, and cooking classes at Locali Seasoned are all alcohol-free or have no expectation of drinking. The Wicked Wolf (2332 Pacific Ave) is a cocktail bar with an extensive mocktail and tea program and a daytime tea house concept — genuinely one of the city’s most sober-friendly spaces. The Friendship Club runs Screen-Free Saturdays at The Willmore (315 W 3rd St) with board games, puzzles, and real conversation. The Long Beach Library has free programming year-round. And there’s a dedicated Long Beach Alcohol-Free Activities group on Meetup. Making friends in Long Beach without drinking is very much possible.
Long Beach has one of the most established LGBTQ+ communities in Southern California, with decades of infrastructure behind it. The LGBTQ Center Long Beach (2017 E 4th St) offers over 20 weekly drop-in social and support groups and is the best first stop for anyone new to the city. The Broadway Corridor — particularly between Downtown and Belmont Shore — is home to long-running gay bars including The Falcon (1435 E Broadway), Sweetwater Saloon (1201 E Broadway), and Broadway Cocktails (1100 E Broadway). For social groups beyond bars, Wholesome Queers on Meetup does walks, hikes, and neighborhood events specifically designed around making queer friends. OutLoud Sports Long Beach runs queer-inclusive sports leagues in multiple sports. Shoreline Frontrunners is an LGBTQ+-oriented run club that has been active since 1984 and meets three times a week. Queer Parents LB (@queerparentslb) organizes nature-based meetups for LGBTQ+ parents and caretakers. Making queer friends in Long Beach is genuinely well-supported.
The bars and venues that consistently come up when locals talk about making friends in Long Beach tend to be the ones with regular programming — trivia nights, karaoke, live music, and recurring events that bring the same crowd back week after week. Alex’s Bar (2913 E Anaheim St) has free karaoke Tuesdays and trivia Wednesdays. Beachwood Blendery (247 Long Beach Blvd) has free Trivia Tuesdays at 7pm. The Blind Donkey (149 Linden Ave) has karaoke Wednesdays and Sundays. The Stache Bar (941 E 4th St) has karaoke Sundays. Port City Tavern (4306 E Anaheim St) has karaoke Mondays and live DJs Fridays and Saturdays. Trademark Brewing (233 E Anaheim St), The Firkin Pub & Grill (3411 E Broadway), and Rasselbock (4020 Atlantic Ave) all have loyal trivia regulars. The key with any of these is consistency — become a regular and the friendships follow.
