FAM Fest 2025 attendees: Use the code LONGBEACHIZE to get $5 off.
FAM Fest’s 2025 edition should have taken over Heritage Farm, as the festival has done annually for the past two years. And yes, part of it will, indeed, be at the farm come Oct. 4. However, the time has come to expand—and by “expand,” we mean a block party. What hasn’t changed from its predecessors? It’s stacked with some of the city’s best food purveyors. Art from over 20 artists. And, as always, live music.
And it’s all stitched together with one simple promise: not a cent goes toward profit. Every dollar heads directly to the Jonathan Jaques Children’s Cancer Institute at Miller’s Hospital.
For founders and organizers Chef Philip Pretty and Lauren Michaelis, it’s a vision that’s grown legs since its humble beginnings in 2023, fueled by chefs, artists, and musicians willing to turn their talents into philanthropy. What started as a passion project has steadily become a cornerstone of Long Beach’s fall calendar—and Chef Phil only has plans to make it grow.
From loss to legacy: FAM Fest was birthed through hope
FAM Fest was never about branding; it was about memory and connection. And Chef Phil? While not consistently open about it, when he does talk, he has long been frank that cancer has shadowed his family.
“My sister and I experienced a profound loss when we lost both our grandparents to cancer,” Chef Phil said. “It is something that always lingers and, as I continued to find success, I knew I wanted to home in on many things—but one was always a philanthropic extension of who are as a hospitality group.”
The seed of FAM Fest was planted there: a melding of food, art, and music—hence the name—that was never meant to be a one-off but rather a growing annual celebration rooted in generosity. And with its most recent expansion, Chef Phil has high hopes. More than a thousand additional attendees in the park with a future expansion. And come a few years? Several thousand with his hip-hero (and often patron of his restaurants) Vince Staples to one day headline.
“I promise you this,” Chef Phil said, chuckling but entirely serious. “I will get Vince Staples to show up for FAM Fest.” And considering this was the man who told me many years ago over too many beers and whiskies at The Pike on 4th that he would get a Michelin star, I wouldn’t doubt him.
FAM Fest 2025: How the Full Belly Food Group got here
The first fest in 2023 drew about a hundred people to the Prettys’ Heritage Farm on Gladys Avenue, the very space that earned them a Michelin Green Star on top of their Michelin Star proper. Guests wandered among garden beds, ate from some of the city’s best chefs, checked out tattoo legend Kari Barba’s work, and even caught Grammy-winning artist Dave Van Patten and his wife Kashira Edghill hanging their pieces.
By 2024, the festival expanded—more chefs, more artists, more music, plus cocktails by Baby Gee barman Noah Friedman. A live auction replaced the silent one, making it loud, playful, and immersive. In 2025, Pretty promises another evolution: more musical energy, a bigger chef lineup, an even bigger curated art gathering—all while preserving the festival’s soul.
What to expect at FAM Fest 2025
The 2025 edition will once again showcase the pillars of Long Beach’s cultural scene. Check out this food lineup alone. From legends like Ammatoli and Selva to some of the best greenhorns around—looking at you, Loquat Oyster—the food lineup at FAM Fest never fails.
- Ammatoli
- Selva
- Hey Brother Baker
- Liv’s
- Hamburgers Nice
- Bar Becky
- Homareya
- Botanica
- Boon Sauce
- Heritage
- Olive & Rose
- Marlena
- Loquat Oyster
- Sushi Nikkei
The Details
- Date & Time: Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025 · 1PM to 6PM
- Location: 1336 Gladys Ave.
- Proceeds: 100% to the Jonathan Jaques Children’s Cancer Institute at Miller’s Hospital
FAM Fest remains what it always set out to be: an unpretentious, heartfelt gathering where Long Beach’s best chefs, artists, and musicians lend their craft to something bigger than themselves. Tickets are expected to go fast—because this is more than a festival. It’s the city feeding, painting, and singing for a cause.
