Independence Day Celebrations in Long Beach Were Booming

(LONG BEACH, CA – July 5, 2023) Two days of fireworks, shows, and celebrations attracted an estimated 200,000 to Long Beach’s shore and downtown, numbers equivalent to the record attendance at this year’s Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, generating an economic impact of $33 million for the city.

As in the past, Long Beach’s Independence Day activities kicked off with The Big Bang on the Bay block party event on July 3, which took place at The Boathouse on the Bay restaurant and Alamitos Bay waterfront. In Long Beach, 75,000 attended along the waterfront, with another 25,000 watching from Seal Beach, according to the Long Beach Office of Special Events & Filming. The celebration and fundraiser features live music and flyovers, as well as a highly anticipated fireworks show.

On July 4, a fireworks production produced by the City of Long Beach and Queen Mary drew approximately 90,000 viewers to the Long Beach waterfront. The show was also sponsored by the Long Beach Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB), Harbor Breeze Cruises, the City of Long Beach and Evolution Hospitality.

Thanks to promotional collaborations between the City of Long Beach, the Long Beach CVB, and local businesses, several events hosted on the waterfront over the weekend sold out, including Harbor Breeze Cruises’ viewing and dining cruises. Harbor Breeze Cruises Founder & CEO Dan Salas reported that his company’s fireworks and dinner cruises on July 4 had completely sold out by Saturday morning – so he brought in three additional vessels from San Pedro, and those were filled as well. “Anything we had that was floating was sold out!” he said.

Below is a recap of ticketed events and anecdotes from area businesses that benefited from the crowds:

- The Queen Mary’s 4th of July Celebration sold out, with 3,000 attendees.
- All hotels reported a busy weekend, with the Westin saying it was “the best ever.”
- Big Bang on the Bay organizer John Morris said the event netted more than $100,000 for local charities and organizations, including the Action Sports Kids Foundation, Precious Life Shelter, Children Today, 4GIRLS, Autism Partnership Foundation, Grounded Education, Los Altos YMCA, Belmont Shore Rugby Club, Precious Lamb, Send a Kid to Camp, Los Alamitos High, The Guidance Center, the Boys and Girls Club, Project Seek, and the Captain Rosa Scholarship Fund. Over the years since the event debuted in 2011, Morris said more than $1.5 million has been raised for local charities.
- Shoreline Village had thriving sales on July 4, with some vendors experiencing twice their typical revenue.
- Area restaurants reported a surge in customers on both July 3 and 4. A representative at Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse, which saw its first July 4 at its downtown Long Beach location this year, said they plan to staff up for the holiday in 2024 after seeing huge numbers of guests on both days, via both reservations and walk-ins, with an exceptionally busy happy hour on July 4. The patio at Parker’s Lighthouse was full all day, according to Sales Director Annalisa Padayhag.

The high turnout at this weekend’s celebrations reflects a post-pandemic trend that has seen record attendance at local events, including not only the Grand Prix and firework displays, but also festivals like the Long Beach Juneteenth Celebration and Long Beach Pride.

The Long Beach CVB assisted with promotional efforts for Fourth of July weekend events in Long Beach by conducting media outreach, creating content for its website, www.visitlongbeach.com, and pushing information out on social media. The CVB produced a promotional video to inform the public about fireworks at the waterfront, posting it to social media channels in a collaboration with the Downtown Long Beach Alliance. By July 4, the video had over 109,000 views.

Additionally, advance broadcast coverage of the July 4 fireworks show at the waterfront reached an audience of 743,000 at a publicity value of $456,366, according to media tracking software provided by Critical Mention. Coverage of the day netted an audience of more than 1,055,000, with a value of $664,000.

“We are delighted that Fourth of July celebrations drew so many people to Long Beach’s beautiful waterfront this year,” said Steve Goodling, President & CEO of the Long Beach CVB. “This major summer holiday is so important to our local businesses – from restaurants and hotels to entertainment venues and retail – so the fact that our local events brought both residents and tourists out in such big numbers really highlights the impact of our efforts to promote Long Beach.”

Vice Mayor Cindy Allen, who represents the city’s Second District, noted that the turnout in Long Beach this weekend was impressive. “In all the years I have been down here and living on the coastline, I have never seen this many people come out to watch fireworks. It was unprecedented,” she said. “I can only imagine what that economic impact looked like. The weather was perfect – truly a great weekend in Long Beach.”

Mary Zendejas, Councilwoman for the First District in Long Beach, which includes the downtown waterfront, said she had never seen local beaches packed so early in the evening on July 4. “The Fourth of July fireworks show in Long Beach is a wonderful annual tradition for our residents and visitors alike to enjoy,” Zendejas said. “As a city with our sponsor partners, we are so happy to provide a free celebration along our beautiful waterfront.”

“People from all over Southern California came to Long Beach to watch the fireworks, and to enjoy our beaches, businesses, and City,” said Councilmember Kristina Duggan, who oversees the Third District, which includes Alamitos Bay, the location of Big Bang on the Bay. “It is a great way to showcase our City and what it has to offer. Hats off to Boathouse on the Bay and the Queen Mary for throwing such dynamic shows.”

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About the Long Beach Convention & Visitors Bureau: Established in 1982, the LBCVB is a private non-profit organization funded by city hotel bed tax and membership contributions from over 400 area businesses and community organizations. The mission of the Bureau is to contribute to the economic development of the city of Long Beach by selling, marketing and promoting Long Beach as a destination for conventions, meetings, tradeshows and tourism.


PRESS CONTACTS
Samantha Mehlinger
VP Communications & Marketing
562-896-3290
SamanthaM@longbeachcvb.org

Claire Atkinson
Communications Manager
562-896-8846
ClaireA@longbeachcvb.org