This is a pretty cool event. It's also nice to see that they are making good use of the Belmont…read morePier rather than being used as a hang out for the local homeless population. As for the festival, they have several booths along the pier selling little pirate knick knacks. At the end of the pier they have a pirate band and a beer truck that sells Rogue Ale and other domestic beers. There is a full bar at the end of the pier. They also had food stands and sold food from the dilapidated building at the end. There seems to be a following for this stuff. There were lots of people dressed up in full pirate regalia with their eye patches, hots and swords. It's fun to watch. They also do a mock pirate battle with some of the local sailboats. The only downside would have to the food. At least the food we had. I had a salmon burger that didn't have much flavor and my wife had a turkey leg that didn't seem like it was cooked all the way. But they also have baked potatoes and it looked like that fish and chips were the most popular. So overall, it's something fun to do for a couple of hours to people watch and drink some ale.

What a great event! I love the pirate community they have going- that really adds a nice touch…read more Lots of shopping- if you're looking for pirate wear, this is a great time to shop for corsets, gowns, and fancy pirate hats. Lots for men too, including some unique weaponry. Very kid friendly- lots for them to see and do! There is a kiddie area with lots of jump houses Etc. Mermaids and even Peter Pan characters are adorable. I would definitely suggest bringing plenty of sunscreen and make sure ye pirate shoes are comfortable, matey! Arrive early for parking unless you want to wait in a loooong caravan and hope for a spot. We are around 10 and it was getting tight. By the time we left (around 3:30) there were no parking places and the line of hovering cars was endless. The pirate battle on the beach is so fun! Again, get a spot close to the pier gate (north side beach) so you can see well. Also don't be quick to leave the moment the battle is over- if you hang for a bit, they will start firing cannons and a few things like that. Loved all if this!!! I'm posting a pic of the event schedule (they hand them out in the am's on the pier) but I believe the battle was around 2 pm. Belly dancing is at 7 pm . Live bands go on throughout the event and food is ready around 11 am.

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.

My son and I came in here for game 7 of the Dodgers hoping to enjoy a Father and Son experience…read more I've come here ever so often for wings and a beer. It's a busy night given game 7 but they put us at a crummy table from outside and no paper towels/sauce set up. I ask for it 2 times and to be seated elsewhere bc it's not ideal. They move us then have us move back because they messed up us and have no idea what's going on. I ask again for the proper table set up a 3rd time. It takes 15-20 mins to get a beer while my son gets his drink at least. If you can't handle a busy night of sports you shouldn't work at Hooters. Probably the dumbest group of waitresses I've ever seen. They can't even get their original hooters style wings order right and brought out Daytona 2 different times. Took 2 different waitresses and a manager to figure out how to put the most popular ordered wing order in the history of Hooters in with the kitchen. It is literally the only thing I've ever ordered coming here and I work close by and been enough times. I said you know what please just give me the bill because I was over how dumb this group running the restaurant was. Some sort of special kind of stupid. I have never felt so shitty coming here. Screw this place. Maybe bad luck but made my son and I feel like shit and a waste of an evening to watch the Dodgers try to win the World Series. Don't come here they suck. Thanks.

I had zero expectations for this festival since I saw a whole bunch of bad reviews (expensive,…read morecrowded, lack of seafood, lack of $5 samples), but I still wanted to check it out with some friends. Yes, it was overpriced ($20 for admission and then you pay for each item, which ranged from $10 for 5 beignets to $40 for a lobster tail with garlic noodles. Each drink ticket was $10). Yes, it was unbelievably crowded (approximately 1 hour per line). Yes, there wasn't as much seafood stalls as you would expect in a seafood festival, and I only saw one stall with a $5 sample. However, it was still nice to walk around. They have stalls with some samples and items to buy (beef jerky, jewelry, etc). If you have friends, you can take turns waiting in line and exploring the festival. The food quality was surprisingly good. Most of the lobster items we had were tender. Here are my thoughts: Lobster tail with garlic noodles: 4/5 - $40. Taste wise, the garlic noodles were so savory. The lobster tail was tender. My only complaints were that it was cold, and the lobster tail was tiny. Beignets: 4/5 - $10. so hot and fresh! We got the ones with chocolate and strawberry. Would have loved more chocolate drizzle Louisiana fried fish: 4.5/5 - $15 (they ran out of fries, so the price was $5 less). So hot and crispy. Great amount of fish for the price Mac attack shrimp bowl: 3/5 - $15. Comes with three fried shrimp on top of Mac and cheese. The shrimp was tasty, but the Mac and cheese needed more cheese Lobster grilled cheese: 4.5/5 - $20. Super delicious with a good amount of lobster. Some parts needed more cheese I only had one bite of my boyfriend's Connecticut lobster roll so I cannot make a good judgement. Overall, I thought it was a fun festival to check out if you're ok with blowing off quite a bit of money and don't mind waiting 1+ hour for each food item. Parking is also not easy. We parked in the Pike Outlet ($15 for about 6 hours)

I've gone many years, now missed many years. It's always been great, great food, great vendors,…read moregreat security great entertainment and dope environment. Location great and drug is worth the attendance.

The good: weather was beautiful, and seeing my Puerto Rican people with the flags awesome!…read moreThe Bad: I've been coming to this event for the past 10yrs. This is the first time I felt the music Bands was really off!! Too much CUMBIA music and Not Salsa! The stage performers kept asking g where's are all the Colombian?? and other South American. I said maybe at their event?! It's the Puerto Rican Festival. Instead of asking the people of Puerto Rico the cities of Puerto Rico! Where from? The music didn't go well for me!! I do have to say one woman on stage was PR and she was the only one that played real Salsa! Left earlier than any year that I been going. Hope next year Salsa music and Salsa bands!!!

I could not wait to drive down to San Pedro to see the World's Largest Rubber Duck!…read more There was a Tall Ships Festival a couple weeks before and I kept seeing friends post selfies on Facebook. I was dying to get one my own and it is displayed as my Facebook and Yelp profile right now. I also have the World's Largest Duck as my cover photo. My husband sings the Rubber Ducky song every morning to my dog. He would not be thrilled if he knew I wrote about this, but he never reads my reviews or goes on Yelp so my secret is safe. This is how it goes: Tucker buddy you're the one. You make walk time lots of fun. I really love the World's Largest Rubber Duck. Please don't tell my husband or dog. They might get jealous.

Garbage. Droce 2hrs to see the duck and it was taken down 4hrs before it was suppose to come down…read moredue to high winds. Nothing on their facebook page about it coming down early and when I tried to call their google voice number on their website that didnt work eithe. They want to spread happiness but they are just spreading anger and frustration

I have made this place into an annual tradition with daughter ! We always love the themes of every…read more My daughter is now 14 Going on 15 this year and she can't wait to hear the announcement for this year CHILL. I don't like that parking is $25 they should make it free since we are already paying for an entrance and paying for the additional amenities but given we do live in LA it's not something out of the norm to pay especially since the place is located in LBC. Maybe a suggestion for the future CHILLS they can possible make sample food cards like $30 for card and you get to pick amongst the food items there.

Great experience my tour guide was excellent I recommend at least once in a lifetime if. Not .moreread more

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.

Can't wait to see more Cambodian fare-type booths, particularly hoping for fresh fish, produce and…read morethe like. Mostly various ethnic foods ready made at this time. The generator is crazy loud. Too close to the booths. Music needs work. I like the ethnic music, but it needs to be louder than Metallica? What happened there? Also, just a few random booths, but I guess I was hoping for Cambodia food, produce, and such here, rather than miscellaneous vendors selling cheap hair bobs, hats, t-shirts, and similar items. It's the second week. Here's hoping that it becomes a bit more integrated, has tables, and a theme!