Residents can have loads of fun without spending a dime this week, with several free activities happening throughout Long Beach.
Gatherings with complimentary admission include a Water Safety Day at the Deep Blue Swim School and Love Beyond Limits’ Family Fun and Peace Carnival at Jessie Elwin Nelson Academy, both on Saturday. The start of the weekend also brings cycling events such as the E-Bike Demo Day in downtown and a gender bender pride-themed ride starting at Pedal Movement.
Community members can learn more about recent local developments at Saturday’s groundbreaking of the Belmont Plaza Pool and Thursday’s MEHKO workshop at McBride Park Teen Center. Or, spend their Sunday volunteering via the Long Beach Surfrider Foundation’s third annual San Gabriel River Clean-Up or Norfside LB Outreach’s food and supply distribution to homeless neighbors in North Long Beach.
Additional events that can be checked out free of charge include the Gin and Juice block party on Sunday at Roxanne’s, Leadership Long Beach’s Virtual Immigration Fair on Tuesday and a Community Walk and Workshop at Starr King Elementary on Wednesday.
Friday 5/29
Restoration and Reciprocity: 8 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. The LaFayette Nature Club (2445 Chestnut Ave.) will be hosting tribal biologist Matt Teutimez from the Kizh-Garieleno nation for a presentation on how to respectfully harvest plants to make traditional medicine. Parents must attend with their children, no drop-offs allowed. Neighbors and homeschooling community members are allowed to attend as well. There will also be a swap for clothing, books, games and toys. Breakfast refreshments will be provided. RSVP online.
Skating Pop-Up: 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. This pop-up between Pharmacy Long Beach and Chef Grizzly Inc. at 333 Pine Ave. will feature a trick contest, music, deals on shoes and decks and more. Free.
Saturday 5/30
All Toyota Fest: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Hundreds of Toyota models from all decades will be on display at the largest Toyota car show in the country at Marina Green Park (386 E. Shoreline Drive). Vendors will be selling Toyota accessories. Tickets are $15 for those 13 and older. Kids 13 and under are free.
Belmont Plaza Pool Groundbreaking: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The City will celebrate the groundbreaking of the Belmont Plaza Pool at Termino Avenue and Olympic Plaza. Construction of the pool is expected to be completed in spring 2028. Free.
E-Bike Demo Day: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Learn more about e-bikes and how to use them at this demo day at the La Verne parking lot (5200 E. Ocean Blvd.). The event will allow attendees to test ride an e-bike on a safe course, and will also include community booths, a bounce house, face painting, free helmets and custom fittings, free safety checks and a bike rack loading demo. Free.
Charity Pet Competition: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Long Beach’s Partners of Parks will be crowning the best pets in the city, based on votes, at Recreation Park (4900 E. Seventh St.). There will also be a resource fair, pet samples and goodies, pet photos, activities and more. Free.
Family Fun and Peace Carnival: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Love Beyond Limits is hosting this carnival with games, music, prizes, a photo booth, food, and more at Jessie Elwin Nelson Academy (1951 Cherry Ave.). Free.
Food Donation Drive: 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Long Beach Rapid Response Mutual Aid is asking the community to donate food items for their neighbors at Bolivar Park (3300 Del Amo Blvd.). Items needed include rice, dried beans, bread, tortillas, peanut butter, pasta, snack foods, cooking oil, ramen, all sizes of pampers, wipes, oranges, apples, bananas, onions and potatoes.
Sing-A-Long-Beach: 5 p.m. Join the Long Beach Youth Chorus in singing along to popular rock ‘n roll anthems, movie themes and more at the Bandshell at Recreation Park (4900 E. Seventh St.). The Youth Chorus will also be hosting a Family Arts Festival at the park from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. with food, plenty of performances and giveaways. Free.
Moonlight Mash: 8 p.m. This monthly bike ride includes a fun theme that changes every time. This month’s theme is a gender bender pride ride. Participants should meet at Pedal Movement (223 E. First St.). Free.
Sunday 5/31
San Gabriel River Clean-Up: 8 a.m. to noon. The Long Beach Surfrider Foundation is hosting its third annual San Gabriel River Clean-Up. Gloves, buckets, trash bags and trash grabbers will be provided, but attendees are encouraged to bring their own if they have them. Anyone under 18 years old requires an adult with them. Sign up online for the exact location. Free.
Food Distro: 9 a.m. Join mutual aid group Norfside LB Outreach to help homeless neighbors in North Long Beach by passing out clothing, food, water and more. Message @norfsidelb_outreach on Instagram for details. Free.
Gin and Juice: Noon to 5 p.m. This block party invites the community to celebrate Long Beach culture with gin tastings, juice vendors, vinyl DJs, VIP Records sales, apparel, pop-up vendors, photobooths and more at Roxanne’s (1115 E. Wardlow Ave.). Free.
Water Safety Day: 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Deep Blue Swim School (3640 Atlantic Ave.) is hosting this day of water safety for families, where every participant will receive one free lesson. Attendees can learn drowning prevention education, plus enjoy family-friendly activities, in-pool safety demonstrations and more. Free.
Monday 6/1
Trivia and Bingo: 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. This intergenerational game night at the Signal Hill Public Library (1800 E. Hill St.) invites people of all ages to play different types of games together. Snacks are provided. Free.
Book Club: 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Join local mutual aid group Care Culture Collaborative for its weekly book club, “Practical Anarchism: A Guide to Daily Life” at Vine LB (2142 E. Fourth St.). Author Shuli Branson provides practical examples of anarchism in everyday life, through history, theory and tips that include mutual aid and collective liberation. You do not have to read the book to participate in the discussion. Free.
Tuesday 6/2
Spill the Tea: 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. Local educators can gather at the Museum of Latin American Art (628 Alamitos Ave.) to share the resources and tips they learned from throughout the year, stories and more. There will also be a Pride-themed activity and performance, as well as light refreshments and wine for purchase. RSVP online.
Immigration Resource Fair: 5:30 p.m. Leadership Long Beach is hosting a free virtual resource fair for Long Beach’s immigrant community, offering connections to trusted organizations, resources and support. The event will also be recorded and shared afterwards for anyone unable to attend. Log into the Zoom session here. Free.
Wednesday 6/3
Sliding Scale Acupuncture: Times vary. Dorian Lam of Awaken Remedies will be offering acupuncture sessions on a sliding scale of $85-135 at the Birthworkers of Color Collective space (1635 E. Anaheim St. Suite A). Each session includes a Traditional Chinese Medicine consultation, functional medicine analysis, cupping therapy and acupuncture. Schedule your appointment at this link.
Community Walk and Workshop: 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. This community workshop invites residents to talk about what’s going on in their neighborhood, safety issues and health priorities at Starr King Elementary (145 E. Artesia Blvd.). Residents will also be able to visit interactive stations, and take part in a group walk to point out safety concerns. Groups will be in English and Spanish. Light refreshments will be provided. Free.
Thursday 6/4
MEHKO Workshop: 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Residents can learn about what a MEHKO (Micro Enterprise Home Kitchen Operation) is, how they can apply to start one, food safety and business requirements, and hear from City staff at this workshop at McBride Park Teen Center (1550 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave.). Free.
Clay Workshops: 6 p.m. This month-long clay workshop series where people can learn the full pottery process from start to finish kicks off Thursday at Slow Matter Studio (3934 E. Fourth St.). This four-week workshop is perfect for beginners or those getting back into pottery. Lessons are $175 per person and can be purchased online.
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