Events in Long Beach Highlights
- Long Beach is buzzing with events this weekend, other than the FIFA World Cup watch parties and Juneteenth celebrations.
- Top activities include the California Vegan Festival, free live music at Beachwood Brewing, and a 16mm screening of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.
- Community-focused events like the Oaxacali Run Club and free concerts honor both fitness and live music for all ages.
- Don’t miss the Summer Solstice Meditation for a unique spiritual experience at the 12th House Tea Sanctuary this Sunday.
- With something for everyone, there are plenty of fun things to do in Long Beach this weekend.
Okay, Long Beach, can we just take a second? Summer has officially started and this weekend is absolutely bursting. Between Juneteenth celebrations happening all over the city and FIFA World Cup watch parties in Long Beach taking over every bar, brewery, and big screen in town, it almost feels like this city collectively decided to ring in the amazing vibes.
But maybe you’ve already figured out where you’re watching the match (check out our Long Beach World Cup 2026 watch party guide here) or you’ve got your Juneteenth plans locked in (we’ve got those covered too). Either way, this city has more going on than just soccer and celebration — and we rounded up 5 more things to do in Long Beach this weekend that are absolutely worth your time. From a horror classic on 16mm film to a plant-based festival, a community run, live music, and a Father’s Day show at a beloved record shop, the events in Long Beach this weekend are doing what this city does best: offering something for literally everyone.
Here’s what else is happening in Long Beach this weekend, LBC.
California Vegan Festival at Sports Basement Long Beach
Saturday & Sunday, June 20–21 | 12:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Sports Basement / Flight Deck, 2100 N. Bellflower Blvd, Long Beach, CA 90815
Cost: Tickets required — click here | Kids under 12 FREE | Free Parking
Think of this one as a modern-day Woodstock — but make it plant-based. The California Vegan Festival is one of the most unique Long Beach weekend events rolling through this June, with a full two-day celebration of life, love, health, culture, the environment, and animals. And the lineup? Absolutely incredible.
On the music side, you’ve got the soulful jazz of the Al Williams Quintet featuring special guest vocalist Valerie Monroe — yes, from Ray Charles’ Raelettes — alongside heavy conscious reggae from Lamour & The Mystik Band, Empress Akua, Queen Theresa King, and Ras Ken & Da Fari Soldiers. The festival is also honoring a true Long Beach legend: Al Williams, founder of the Long Beach Jazz Festival and Birdland West, widely known as the “Father of Jazz” in Southern California. That alone makes this one of the most meaningful events in Long Beach this weekend.
Between sets, music is curated by host Bob Linden, Program Director at Jazzy 100 in DC, CD-101 in NYC, and KIFM San Diego — so the vibes are immaculate even during the breaks.
Each day at 3:00 PM there’s a Global Moment of Silence followed by a communal singing of “Give Peace a Chance.” Saturday is dedicated to reflection for all victims of violence; Sunday — which is also Father’s Day — is a day of hope where the children lead the song and extend a global invitation to go vegan for peace. It’s powerful, it’s emotional, and it’s exactly the kind of thing Long Beach does better than anywhere else.
Bring the whole family — kids under 12 get in free, and there’s free parking on site. Whether you’re a lifelong vegan, veg-curious, or just someone who wants to spend the weekend surrounded by good music, good people, and good energy, this is one of the best things to do in Long Beach this weekend.
Live Music Fridays at Beachwood Brewing & Distilling (Bixby Knolls)
Friday, June 19 | 7:00 PM
Beachwood Brewing & Distilling, 3630 Atlantic Ave, Long Beach, CA 90807
Cost: FREE
If you’re looking for free things to do in Long Beach this weekend, Friday night at Beachwood Brewing’s Bixby Knolls location is exactly where you need to be. Their Live Music Fridays series has been one of the best kept secrets in Long Beach all summer — every Friday at 7 PM, a rotating lineup of local and regional artists takes the stage while you settle in with some of the best craft beer and spirits the city has to offer.
This week’s featured artist is Sienna George, and she is not playing around. Sienna performs, singing and playing her upright bass simultaneously, which is the kind of thing you have to see live to fully appreciate. It’s soulful, it’s unexpected, and it’s exactly the kind of intimate performance that reminds you why you love living in a city with a real arts scene.
This is a no-cover, no-excuses kind of night. Show up, grab a drink, find a spot, and let Sienna serenade you into the weekend. Beachwood Bixby Knolls has that neighborhood energy that feels genuinely Long Beach — unpretentious, community-driven, and always worth the trip up Atlantic. One of the most effortless Long Beach events this weekend and honestly one of our favorites on this list.
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) – 16mm Screening
Saturday, June 20 | 8:00 PM
Art Theatre of Long Beach, 2025 E. 4th St, Long Beach, CA 90814
Cost: $11 to $15 per person, click here to buy tickets
This is one of those Long Beach events this weekend that horror fans are going to absolutely lose it over, and rightfully so. See It On 16mm is a touring series that takes legendary films back to their roots — and this weekend they’re bringing a genuine grimy grindhouse 16mm film print of the 1974 horror masterpiece The Texas Chain Saw Massacre to the Art Theatre’s screen for one night only.
This includes Sally Hardesty and her friends, the sun-baked back roads of Texas, and the full unhinged nightmare of Leatherface and his cannibalistic family on actual film. Grain, flicker, wear marks and all. If you’ve only ever experienced this movie on a streaming service or a flatscreen, I need you to understand that is not the same movie. Watching Tobe Hooper’s masterpiece projected on 16mm in a packed dark theatre with a crowd that’s equally terrified and delighted? That’s cinema.
The Art Theatre of Long Beach on 4th Street is one of this city’s most treasured independent venues, and events like this are exactly why. It’s the kind of place that programs with intention and keeps the weird, wonderful side of film culture alive in Long Beach. Grab your tickets through their website, maybe skip the heavy dinner, and prepare to have an absolutely unhinged Saturday night in the best possible way.
Oaxacali Run Club at Masa y Taza
Sunday, June 21 | 8:00 AM
Masa y Taza, 1538 E. 4th St, Long Beach, CA 90802
Cost: FREE — just show up
Sunday morning and you need something to do in Long Beach that doesn’t involve a couch and a guilt spiral about the weekend? The Oaxacali Run Club has you covered. They’re heading back to Long Beach for an 8 AM session and they’re meeting up at Masa y Taza — one of the LBC’s newest spots for breakfast burritos and coffee — which means you get a run AND a great cup of coffee to look forward to after.
Oaxacali Run Club is all about movement and community in equal measure. This isn’t a competitive race or an intimidating fitness flex — it’s a group of people who believe that running together builds something real. You show up, you move your body, you meet people who live in and love this city, and you finish feeling like you did something genuinely good for yourself on a Sunday morning. That’s the whole vibe.
Whether you’re logging serious miles or planning to jog-walk with good conversation, you belong here. Masa y Taza on 4th Street is a perfect meeting point — the neighborhood energy, the community feel, the coffee waiting at the finish line. If you’ve been looking for a reason to get into a running community or just want a feel-good free thing to do in Long Beach this weekend, this is your sign. Lace up.
Make Music Day at Dizzy on Vinyl – The Privateers Live
Sunday, June 21 | 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM
Dizzy on Vinyl, 3004 E. 7th St, Long Beach, CA 90804
Cost: FREE — All Ages
It’s Father’s Day. It’s Make Music Day. And The Privateers are playing a free show at Dizzy on Vinyl. If that sentence doesn’t make you want to immediately text your dad and tell him to clear his Sunday afternoon, I don’t know what to tell you.
Make Music Day is a global celebration of live music that happens every June 21st, and Long Beach always shows up for it. This year, Dizzy on Vinyl — the beloved Belmont Heights record shop that is genuinely one of the great independent stores left in this city — is hosting The Privateers from 1–2 PM for a set that is all ages and completely free. No tickets, no cover, no catch. Just good music in a room full of good records surrounded by people who love both.
If you haven’t made it to Dizzy on Vinyl yet, consider this your official nudge from LBC Vibe. It’s the kind of shop that makes you remember why physical music still matters — flipping through crates, discovering something unexpected, talking to people who actually know and love music. Add a live band and Father’s Day energy and you’ve got one of the most purely joyful things to do in Long Beach this weekend. Bring the whole family, bring your dad, bring your record bag. This one’s a gem.
Summer Solstice Meditation with Therapeutic Hoodoo
Sunday, June 21 | 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM (Doors at 3:30 PM)
12th House Tea Sanctuary, 1950 W. Willow St, Long Beach, CA 90810
Cost: $25 — Click here | Ages 18+ | Free Parking
If the World Cup watch parties and vegan festivals have your social battery running low, this one’s your reset button. Therapeutic Hoodoo is hosting a Summer Solstice Meditation event at the 12th House Tea Sanctuary in Long Beach — and honestly, it might be the most intentional thing happening in the city this weekend.
The Summer Solstice is one of the most energetically charged days of the year, and facilitator Yentl Lopez is creating a sacred space to honor it right. Expect guided meditation, grounding practices, spiritual reflection, and a genuine opportunity to release stagnant energy and realign with abundance, healing, and inner clarity. The kind of Sunday afternoon reset your nervous system has been begging for all week.
Doors open at 3:30 PM — arrive early to get settled, ground yourself, and ease into the atmosphere before meditation begins promptly at 4:00 PM. Bring your yoga mat, a blanket, and a pillow if you want extra comfort. Light refreshments will be served after the session, because of course they will — and honestly that post-meditation tea moment is going to hit different on the longest day of the year.
This is one of those Long Beach events this weekend that sneaks up on you — intimate, intentional, and exactly what the Summer Solstice calls for. The 12th House Tea Sanctuary is a special space and Therapeutic Hoodoo brings real care and community to everything they do. Tickets are $25 on Eventbrite. Follow along at @therapeutichoodoo for more.
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FAQs
There are two great free options this weekend. The Privateers play a free all-ages show at Dizzy on Vinyl on Sunday, June 21 from 1–2 PM as part of Make Music Day Long Beach. The Oaxacali Run Club meetup at Masa y Taza on Sunday at 8 AM is also free and open to all fitness levels.
Yes! The California Vegan Festival at Sports Basement Long Beach is all ages and kids under 12 get in free. There is also free parking on site. The event runs Saturday and Sunday, June 20–21 from 12–5 PM at 2100 N. Bellflower Blvd.
Make Music Day is a global celebration of live music held every year on June 21st — which also happens to be the Summer Solstice and Father’s Day this year. Long Beach participates with free live performances around the city, including The Privateers performing at Dizzy on Vinyl in Belmont Heights from 1–2 PM.
Therapeutic Hoodoo is hosting a guided Summer Solstice Meditation at the 12th House Tea Sanctuary, 1950 W. Willow St, Long Beach on Sunday June 21 from 4–5 PM. Facilitator Yentl Lopez will lead the group through grounding, guided meditation, and spiritual reflection. Tickets are $25 on Eventbrite. It is an 18+ event with free parking. Doors open at 3:30 PM — arrive early.
Father’s Day falls on Sunday June 21 this year and Long Beach has plenty going on. Top picks include the free all-ages Make Music Day show at Dizzy on Vinyl, the California Vegan Festival at Sports Basement, the Oaxacali Run Club morning run at Masa y Taza, and the Summer Solstice Meditation at 12th House Tea Sanctuary.
