Signature Events
Uptown Jazz Festival
Veterans Day Celebration
Activate Uptown
State of the 9th District
#PopUPtown Social
Uptown Jazz Festival
The Uptown Jazz Festival is a yearly FREE community concert held at Houghton Park that features a taste of jazz sounds for all ages to enjoy. The event includes live performances, a DJ, amazing food, a beer garden, numerous vendor booths, and a kids’ zone. The festival, going on its 11th year, continues to unite the North Long Beach community, in addition to attracting annual attendees outside of the city.
In 2022, over 8,000 attendees enjoyed a day of great food, good company, and amazing music from the legendary Stephanie Mills, DW3, Take Me Back to Chicago, the Susie Hansen Latin Jazz Band, Biscuits and Gravy, and DJ Mr. Quick. You can view photos from the 11th Annual Uptown Jazz Festival here.
Veterans Day Celebration
The Veterans Day Celebration is a free community event honoring our veterans for all to enjoy. It takes place at Houghton Park near Veterans’ Valor Plaza and includes veterans’ services, community resources, live entertainment, great food, a beer garden, vendor booths, a Kid’s Zone, and more.
Each year, thousands of attendees join us for a great celebration for our community. We are proud to present a fun, modern, and distinguished Veterans Day event!
Activate Uptown
Activate Uptown is a free, open-streets block party along Artesia Boulevard between Atlantic and Orange Avenues, with live music, activities, food, crafts, giveaways and more. Artesia Boulevard is open to people walking, biking, and playing in the street, and closed to vehicular traffic.
In 2021, we hosted “Activate Artesia” in conjunction with the 10th Annual Uptown Jazz Festival. You can view photos from the event here:
Stay tuned for the next Activate Uptown announcement!
State of the 9th District
The State of the 9th District is an annual event that allows us to share updates on what we have accomplished together to create a more vibrant Uptown.
In 2021, we released a video—21 Key Moments of 2021—which highlighted some of the major achievements of our community during the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic:
- The Long Beach Recovery Act– $234 million dollars invested into the recovery of small businesses and local families as we bounced back from the pandemic.
- Feeding Families– Through a partnership with the Long Beach Center for Economic Inclusion, we fed over 5,000 families each month to help alleviate the economic concerns many faced.
- Hero Pay – In response to the pandemic, the City Council approved a $4/hour wage increase for grocery store workers in the City of Long Beach, which helped to lessen the economic burden on households where a family member became sick while working in one of our grocery stores and needed to take time off.
- $23 million Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) – Over 4,000 tenants received emergency rental assistance during the pandemic who otherwise would have been unable to make payments.
- Inclusionary Housing Ordinance – The City Council approved an ordinance that mandates the construction of affordable units in all new housing developments.
- Climate Action and Adaptation Plan (CAAP) – As the climate crisis continues, Long Beach adopted the CAAP as part of our strategy to become a zero-emissions city by 2045.
- Artesia Great Boulevard – We unveiled a $26 million street improvement plan for Artesia Boulevard, which will completely revamp mobility and access modes along our district’s most-trafficked corridor.
- The Grand Opening of the new Uptown Commons
- Groundbreaking for the new Environmental Education Center at Deforest Park
And much, much more! You can watch the video below:
#PopUPTown Social
#PopUPTown Social is a “pop-up” gathering celebrating local artists and music, local residents, local food, and local Uptown pride. The event is a fun way to activate space along Atlantic Avenue in anticipation of new improvements and developments that are on the horizon.
Interested in sponsoring a future #PopUPTown Social or being a vendor? For more information, contact us at district9@longbeach.gov.
Contact District 9
P: 562.570.6137
E: district9@longbeach.gov
Opt-in Form Here