When it comes to cities that live and breathe culture, the strong streets of Long Beach stand tall. This isn’t just another coastal town—there’s a living, beating heart in the LBC. With deep roots and a community-first spirit, these streets tell stories, and the people write new ones every day. Long Beach has always been more than palm trees and ocean views.
This is a place where music, art, and activism mix together in ways you don’t forget. Festivals like the Long Beach Grand Prix, the Vans Warped Tour, and the laid-back gatherings like Cali Vibes show this city knows how to throw a celebration with soul and purpose, everyday energy that makes Long Beach unforgettable.
The city carries cultural weight- from the historic Queen Mary, the Aquarium of the Pacific, and the Long Beach Museum of Art, to being the hometown of legends like Snoop Dogg and Sublime. The Jazz and Blues roots run deep here, with murals splashed across walls in every neighborhood that reflect pride and identity.
Long Beach is also one of the most diverse cities in the country, with strong Latino, Black, Cambodian, Filipino, and LGBTQ+ communities. This broad culture doesn’t just show up in the demographics- it shows up in the food, the art, activism, and the way the city moves.
Long Beach is a hard working city. The Port of Long Beach is one of the busiest ports in the world, and the city’s aerospace legacy is still flying high. But even with all that hustle, Long Beach knows how to slow it down.
We’re talking dog-friendly to the core- Rosie’s Dog Beach is SoCal’s only offical off-leash beach. In March, 2025, the city opened the new Junipero Beach Sports Court, adding a roller skating area, basketball court, and plenty of shaded hangout spots right by the sand.
What really powers Long Beach?
The artists, the organizers, and the community leaders are those who are building up our community, with something real here. Long Beach is the kind of place that lifts up its own, where creativity is its currency and every show feels like a reunion. Events don’t just pass through this city —they leave a mark and become part of its identity.
Let’s take it back to Slightly Stoopid’s set at Cali Vibes, which captures the spirit perfectly. I was chatting backstage with J-Bird from Tomorrow’s Bad Seeds, who casually invited me to an afterparty. I didn’t know this at the time, but I would be walking into something far greater than just a post-show hang. This was the launch of Our Generation Cares (OGC), a nonprofit rooted in Long Beach and changing lives from the ground up.
The address—235 E. Broadway Ave—sounded vaguely familiar. As I pulled up, I had that gut feeling- call it spirit, destiny, or just good timing. Music was echoing down the streets below from the building, and as I got closer, I heard the unmistakable sounds of a cover band playing RAMONES songs, and they actually sounded pretty good: Heck yes, I thought- this is my kind of jam. I entered from the side door, and made my way to the elevator. 8 floors up, I walked out to a suite where the energy was alive. A band called The Stellones (dressed hilariously as Sylvester Stallone) who play RAMONES songs, was wrapping up their set with “Do You Wanna Dance?”. But the real story was what OGC was building inside those walls.
OGC isn’t just a space for music—it’s a creative ecosystem, a launchpad where dreams are made. Backed by the Long Beach Arts Council and the Latino Chamber of Commerce, OGC is all about access, opportunity, and community empowerment.
At its heart of it is A1Fly: musician, educator, and community leader, also the frontman of the punk/thrash band TBD. His debut album Forever Sh!t Show drops next month, but that night, he was focused on something bigger. He’s building something here that’s part music, and part mentorship. A few days later in conversation, he told me more about the mission behind the work.
“We teach kids—sixth grade through 24 years old—how to create. Live music, digital music, recording, engineering, photography, videography… It’s about giving underprivileged youth, especially in Long Beach, access to careers they might never have considered or had access to. We do media classes, photography, and videography. We develop them in the skills, we teach art and we have fun doing it. ”
The night turned into a full-blown jam session with none other than Clarence Jimmy Roach, guitarist instrumental in shaping the West Coast sound. In one of the jam rooms, he showed me some scales on the guitar. It wasn’t long after that J-Bird hopped on bass, and they started creating some real magic. It was such a treat to see Clarence still rockin with the next generation.
Other standouts that night freppin the strong streets of Long Beach included:
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Morning Dew Collective make Organic Juices who served up healthy vegan mocktails
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Merlee’s Lumpia brought Filipino soul food at its finest
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Puebla Tacos delivered real-deal Mexican flavors straight from the heart
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Dad’s Elixir – a cannabis syrup company that made the trip up from San Diego
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DJs like Morning Shivers, DJ Slow 90 (cassette DJ prodigy taking it way back with tape decks and reels), and Tara Aguamala (whose next release is under A1Fly’s wing) kept the vibes flowing. and a virtual DJ set by Mama Troy from Hawaii
This is Long Beach. A city of dreamers, hustlers, and creators who are alive and flourishing with energy. Culture is what the LBC is known for, and where the arts matter. Long Beach is where the music is more than sound, and where people lift each other up, show up for one another, and build spaces that serve the next generation.
What’s happening behind the scenes, in buildings like 235 E. Broadway, is just as vital. Last words from A1Fly, “The opening was to spread awareness, and destiny happens how it is meant to happen.”
Support Long Beach
So if you’re reading this, let these words be your call to action: support Long Beach. Support nonprofits, it’s youth. The Grand Prix, Warped Tour, Cali Vibes,
Support OGC.- they’re all part of the beating heart of this beautiful city. But it’s the people who make this place a cultural epicenter. Because the true headliners aren’t always on the main stage—they’re in places like 235 E. Broadway, creating something real. Much respect to everyone building something here, and creating the vibe, the family, and the force.
Words and Photos by Maggie St.Thomas