Long Beach is ready to open the doors to its new waterfront amphitheater

The final touches are being made to open the doors this weekend to the F&M Bank Amphitheater of Long Beach, the city’s first outdoor amphitheater along the downtown waterfront.

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Thousands of visitors will be descending on Long Beach to experience live music and entertainment at the outdoor amphitheater, the second-largest in Los Angeles County, officials said. Located near the historic Queen Mary, the venue will feature a range of seating, food and beverage offerings, and accessible transportation options, in an effort to boost the local economy.

City officials and partners christened the venue with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Thursday, June 4, two days before its official debut with a performance by Snoop Dogg on Saturday.

“Today, live music returns to the city of Long Beach with the new F&M Bank Amphitheater,” Mayor Rex Richardson said during the ceremony. “This is a major milestone for our economy. Over the past three years, we’ve talked about the need for our city to invest in new and more sustainable industries in our city to help fuel our services and make sure that we have the quality of life that we can depend on.”

The temporary waterfront amphitheater was part of Long Beach’s Grow Long Beach initiative, which launched in 2023 to build a diversified, sustainable economic future as the city begins moving away from relying on oil revenue.

Long Beach broke ground on the project earlier this year. With the amphitheater, the city is striving to redefine the city’s entertainment landscape and welcome musical talents and visitors from around the world for a robust lineup of major concerts and events, as well as community celebrations and private gatherings year-round.

The venue can welcome up to 11,000 attendees, with floor and box seats, a pit configuration and a VIP section. It will also offer premium food and beverage concessions, including a curated selection of local food trucks and vendors, officials said.

The project cost about $21 million and was funded through the city’s tidelands fund, City Manager Tom Modica said. Once it opens, he said, the amphitheater will begin paying for itself. It is projected to generate around $600,000 annually in private sponsorships.

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“I’m proud to share that today we’re north of $2.4 million in private sponsorships annually for the city of Long Beach,” Richardson said, “which ensures that this is not just a smart investment; it’s a responsible investment. Through public and private partnerships, we’re already generating millions of dollars in economic activity, creating good quality union jobs in the process, and activity that will take place this year, this summer, and every year moving forward.”

It was announced last week, on May 28, that Farmers & Merchants Bank of Long Beach entered into a landmark naming rights partnership that officially names the new venue F&M Bank Amphitheater of Long Beach, formerly the Long Beach Amphitheater. Under the multiyear agreement, F&M Bank will serve as the venue’s inaugural naming rights sponsor and official banking partner, uniting one of Southern California’s most-trusted regional banking institutions with the region’s newest live entertainment destination, officials said.

“We have been blessed by this city, and it is a blessing for us to be able to continue to give back,” Henry Walker, CEO of Farmers & Merchants Bank, said during the event. “We have given back to this city for 120 years, and this is a nice capstone for us to put on our 120th anniversary.”

The venue will be operated by Legends Global, formerly known as ASM Global, which has also operated the Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center and Terrace Theater for more than 30 years. It manages more than 450 other venues worldwide. The City Council unanimously approved the agreement in April 2025.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony was followed by a tour of the new venue and refreshments provided by Glizzy Street, a small business started by twin brothers from Long Beach.

F&M Bank Amphitheater of Long Beach will open its doors on Saturday, June 6, with a performance by Long Beach native and global icon Snoop Dogg & Friends, a booking that signals the venue’s ambition to put Long Beach firmly on the national touring circuit while honoring the city’s rich cultural identity.

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