Taste of Downtown Is Back In-Person

Taste of Downtown returns to in-person at Pine and Promenade between first and third street in Long Beach on June 29-30 from 6-10 p.m.

Over 30 businesses and restaurants in the downtown area will provide samples of their food and beverages to attendees. $1 Taste tickets will be provided for purchase at the event and online, with food samples between two to five tickets and alcoholic drinks five to eight tickets.

The event is organized by Downtown Long Beach Alliance (DLBA), a non-profit organization representing “tenants and commercial and residential property owners in Long Beach’s Downtown and surrounding areas”.

Michael Berman, DLBA communications manager, discussed the purpose of this event for the residents of Downtown Long Beach and visitors.   

“The main priority really is to just create a fun event for people to connect together and enjoy downtown,” Berman said. 

Restaurants and businesses at the event include Dog Haus, Ladie Kakes, Agaves, and Portuguese Bend. 

Participants will be able to vote for the “Best of” categories at the event, such as “Best overall”, “Best Savory”, and “Most Creative Booth”. 

Live music and entertainment will also be provided. Three live acts will perform which are DJ HoneyMee, Manuel The Band, and The Black Noise Theory. 

The event is the second of three installments of Taste of Downtown 2022. The first was held on May 25-26 in East Village, and the third is set to take place on August 24-25 at Downtown’s Waterfront.

Berman discussed how Taste of Downtown has evolved since it was first held in September 2008. 

“It was one event for a couple of nights and over time it became so popular, it turned into a series of events,” Berman said. 

Berman also discussed how the impact of Taste of Downtown and other events held by DLBA, has had on the Downtown area in terms of economic benefits. 

“In the past 10 years, DLBA has put together about 130 events and it’s brought in about 11 million in economic impact to Downtown Long Beach.

For the past two years, Taste of Downtown was held virtually because of COVID-19. 

Restaurant and business owners advertised their products from their zoom screens instead of being able to give guests samples to consume. 

“Especially now that the pandemic has eased—although we still are encouraging people to take precautions—people are itching to get out this year and do the things that we all used to do on a regular basis a few years ago,” Berman said.

For more information on Taste of Downtown, please follow this link