This museum is in a really nice location. It's right next to the beach and you can't beat that. I…read morebought my tickets online and they had a special for 50% off. There's also free parking next to the museum which is a plus. It was my first time at this museum and it's a pretty small museum. When I went, the second floor was closed because there was an event that night. I went to see the Robert Williams exhibit which is on the main floor and there was a lot to see. There's also a lower level with an exhibit for local high school artist which is cool. Although the museum was small I was there for almost an hour. I thought the description of the pieces were very detailed and helped me understand what I was looking at.

This is a review for LBMA as a wedding venue. Wow, what a fabulous event LBMA creates for a…read morecouple's special day. They are professional, flexible and very kind. I loved working with the staff to create the perfect day for my daughter Simone and her new husband Ujwal. The venue is lovely on a warm summer night with the palm trees and the setting sun over the Pacific. Worth every penny! The memories are forever.

Hubby wanted a relaxing afternoon. So we found ourselves &…read moreour lawnchairs at Seal Beach's 14th Annual Japan America Kite Festival on Sunday, October 3rd. Found some free parking several blocks away. As we got closer, we could see some HUGE koi and frogs floating in the air. http://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=Tuq59VSdqnCmotr_910JoQ&select=AE2fk5YIbQLzZi6HvtsiBA We checked out the tents first. Toro's was doing brisk business selling pricey bento plates. We had already picked up our own bento from our local Tozai Market. Some cool Japanese candy artistry: http://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=Tuq59VSdqnCmotr_910JoQ&select=XFn8zwfOvxleiZUPP5CnKw Kiddie tent where they could make their own little kites and where toys & kites were available for purchase. Sponsor Yakult was giving out free samples of their probiotic drinks and tote bags. Hubby's not shy. He scored two bags and too many of those little samples. He really liked the yogurty taste. "Um, hon? I asked the girl and these drinks are supposed to be a one-a-day dose. How many have you had so far?" We planted ourselves smack dab in the middle of everything, kicked off our flip-flops and wiggled our toes into the soft sand. The gentle breeze was so welcoming! There were a lot of people, but there was plenty of room for everyone to claim their own little sandlot. http://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=Tuq59VSdqnCmotr_910JoQ&select=hX0Miqre_4i_oY-_i7r6AQ As we ate our bento, we enjoyed watching more and more kites being launched upwards. We saw the honored Japanese Kite Master, Mikio Toki, running this way and that. Had a great vantage point to watch a graceful Sport Kite Ballet. Amazing what those guys did! Listened to the beats of Myo Onji Daiko group. The hubby was kind of regretting not going into the garage and digging out one of the kids' old kites. I could tell he was wanting to fly one! Some folks had fancy kites. One guy had a camera tied on his kite line and he said that he had it on automatic. Pretty cool idea! Overall, good fun for all ages whether you're a spectator or participant. This was a really nice afternoon! I had a lot of fun just people-watching. Little kids are so amusing. We were saying how nice it'll be someday when we have grandchildren to bring to an event like this. http://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=Tuq59VSdqnCmotr_910JoQ&select=Az928Vhkaje3bL-ofLLsPw http://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=Tuq59VSdqnCmotr_910JoQ&select=lbO22u9sI-aEU9_RvbVwnA We did take pics right before leaving of the sky filled with kites, but they came out really dark. :-( Please excuse. Us old folks still haven't quite figured out this new-fangled camera of ours!

Just come, bring a camera and enjoy something distinctively unique…read more Next one is scheduled for Sunday, Oct 7, 2012.

Well, it took 5 days to add this as a business, and it was posted on the phone application for Yelp…read moreunder events, but like the others, you could not check in! Better late than pregnant I always say! ============================================================ The city of Long Beach has pushed the elements, gangs, thugs & the ilk out of this area (One of many in progress) and made way via landscaping & reinventing a section of Bixby Park that not only hosted this event, but hosts other venues as well. And on a cloudy, humid, but cooler rain pending Monsoonal day, my Yelp friend Steph H had her eclectic, unique & one of a kind visionary pieces on display for a completely different journey for the eyes, visually taking you from polar bears to butterflies & more amidst others during this much overlooked Long Beach venue. Many other vendors at this event in numbers around 40-50 were offering up many crafts, handmade items, art work in water colors, oils & charcoals, some were works in progress right before your eyes-such talent and great people of many ethnicities made this event a must come & see for every citizen in the LBC! Strolling along, coffees & teas are offered up by a vendor to perk up your senses, stimulate your buying bug or, to cool you down, but what ever you needed, even a cart with churros & chips was there for the "I need to call Jenny Craig" crowd too at prices that won't break the bank! A live band, A-Capella performers, and other live entertainment, made for a few hours of a much needed get out of the house, you work from home way to much MP Saturday, and I'll for sure be back to see what's happening among an ever so crowded lightly venue at the Park known as Bixby, for The Annual Art in the Park-Long Beach. You may even purchase raffle tickets for great prizes, which proceeds go to making this venue possible & more! My fellow Yelpers, keep your eyes open, read those event tabs here on Yelp and look for this venue so as no to miss out, it is listed among many others, and is a nice addition. If nothing else you get to socially interact with many citizens of Long Beach in an environment once off limits to the decent & law abiding. I was delighted to see Steph, her extraordinary work, the talents of others, and hang out with my good Yelp Buddy Dave G. *Most of all, I enjoyed watching the children utilizing the park, swings, jungle gyms, slides and other "Be a, or be a kid just once" attractions feeling safe as parents watched not having to be hyper-vigilant, along with the presence of the LBPD too making sure that this event and others like it continue to bring back our city for what it is known for-Diversity Ad infinitum. Go on, look for the next one, even if you just go to do this, you won't be disappointed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrGLNtZ0rEg

Thanks to Michael P for getting this page up, despite all odds, lol! This annual event, occurring…read moreevery July, helps raise funds for Long Beach's historic Bixby Park, an awesome neighborhood park that's definitely on its way back from neglect and abuse and is being rediscovered by its residents! I first became aware of this event through Nancy O'Neil, another local Long Beach artist whom I met at an art show I had at Sasha's Living With Style. She's a real local arts activist and is also behind the Long Beach Women's Art Show in December. Anyway, she invited me to be a part of this event and I thought it'd be awesome to be able to show some art close to home and benefit my community as well. As a participating artist I made a donation to the Friends of Bixby Park but didn't have to pay any other fee or commission from my day's sales. It was a great opportunity to connect with other local artists, musicians, vendors and residents, and I felt it was a worthwhile thing for me to do. If I could say anything about how to make this event better, it would have to be increased publicity and artist participation. A lot of people who came by didn't even know this event was going on, and just happened to be randomly at the park. They were happy and excited to see the event, but I wish more people had known about it. However, I'm hoping that with listings like this on Yelp with reviews by established Yelpers like me and Michael P, that the word will spread and the event will only get better. Thanks to all the friends and family who did show up, however--your support was VERY much appreciated!

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.

What a great event that Long Beach puts on. A fun day at the beach followed up with food trucks and…read morea great movie. It was especially great in that the movie was Grease! One of our favorites. And they declared it a sing along. You could hear sod singing during the songs, which was good since it didn't drown out the actual songs. My one complaint is that they need a better sound system. The DJ who played ahead of the movies had a much better sound system. It was hard to hear at first and then got slightly better. But such great songs need to be played at full volume. It, I would do it again. It was a really fun time.

This is one of my favorite summer traditions. It's great for family and friends and the community…read moreto come together and enjoy a movie on the beach. I highly recommend to bring items for once the sun comes down. Parking is free after 4pm. You can bring your own food or buy food from selected vendors such as Dominos Pizza, Kettle Corn stand or a local food truck as well as the permanent food concession that is at Granada beach. There is also face painting for kids and local sponsors Port of Long Beach and LBS Financial. You can go to their website for movies that will be showing throughout the summer. Yes I recommend to come early if you can for a great viewing spot.

Amazing Festival! Should have way more reviews and credit…read more We went to the tail end of the second day Fire Knife Competition and were completely blown away by the performance from "amateur" performers. The stage stocked with fantastic drummers and artists as well as a lovely competition with quite a few crowd pleasing moments! The host was hilarious and the show moving steadily. The food venues were great, tasty food and snacks authentic enough to the culture. Could have used more variety of meals however we arrived later. Overall a must go to free performance that honestly could make a profit and is worth seeing!

So happy that we found this festival!!!!! Last weekend after meeting with a friend we were trying…read moreto figure out what to do. After googling free things to do in Long Beach, this festival was the first to pop up. FREE.....so why not! So glad that we decided to check it out! There was a cool selection of vendors selling tropical beach style clothing. I bought a beautiful hair clip with flowers for only $10! There were also cool theme items for sale like tikis, carved coconuts, jewelry. There was a good selection of food trucks serving Asian/islander style food. The spam masubi was awesome! Will definitely be back to this festival next year and will tell all my friends!

Wed August I was getting ads for Imaginarium and couldn't…read moreget a handle on what exactly this was. I was looking for 4hours to keep my charges occupied. I'm glad I had the kids with me: they had a blast, I had an okay time- together we averaged 4 stars. The decorations reminded me simultaneously of the Rose parade floats and Meow Wolf. I thought: How do we make this last four hours so the kids will collapse into bed? I dragged my feet, forced myself to go through the rooms slowly, took lots of pictures of the children posing. When one child wanted to color the balloons/apples I let her do that for 5minutes. The 7:30pm circus show really kicked the experience into high gear for them. They were amazed by the death wheel, the fire dancer, and the globe of death. Then they discovered the ball pen, which was about 15minutes of fun. Then they discovered the bubble machine and I watched from afar as they got themselves covered in foam. There was a misting station to clean off. There was begging to do the slime lab and I finally acquiesced. Those $8 per slime were well worth the money to keep the girls occupied for hours. As it approached closing time the girls got a sudden burst of energy and wanted to go through all the games again, go to another show (this time with an aerialist) and take more photos. Overall, Imaginarium is a very photo op worthy place. But if you're not really into photo ops, it could be perplexing how you would spend your time here. The kids loved it, but I think the highlight for them was the slime lab. Anyway, worth the entry if you have young kids!

Had such a fun time at Imaginarium at Lakewood!…read more Loved the millions of LED lights, giant LEGO displays, and the lantern pool where you can drop your wishes. The live circus performances were also included with the ticket, which was such a fun surprise! Such a magical experience for both kids and adults! ‍ IG: socalhkfoodies

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.