For a city that proudly embraces independent art, DIY culture, and an unabashed love of cats, the return of Cat Zine Fest at Cool Cat Collective is warmly welcomed. Long Beach’s cat-loving creatives will have a global gathering point thanks to the annual celebration of feline-inspired DIY publishing hosted by one of the city’s most unique small businesses.
What began as a niche passion project for owners Matt Carr and Jena Winberry Carr has exploded into an international showcase, with this year’s festival drawing 255 submissions from 28 countries spanning six continents. The growth has allowed the festival to become more curated while remaining true to its inclusive roots.
“The algorithm might fail often, but it has saved a space for cat zine lovers, apparently,” Matt said, laughing. “Once again, we simply posted a call for submissions on Instagram, and it went instantly viral.”
The festival opens with a free reception from 6PM to 9PM on Friday, June 26, as part of 4th Street’s monthly Fourth Fridays event. It will transform the beloved cat-centric hub into a showcase of handmade creativity from around the globe. The exhibition will remain on display for approximately four weeks, with featured and Open Gallery zines available for purchase both in-store and online.
Cat Zine Fest 2026: What to expect, Long Beach.
“We have 38 featured zines from different creators all across the world,” Matt said. “We chose ones that, you know, whose art we really loved and stories we really loved and we wanted to highlight by hosting at the shop itself.”
Cool Cat Collective purchased between 20 and 30 copies of each selected title directly from the artists, creating a featured exhibition that spans everything from illustration and collage work to poetry, comics, and delightfully strange feline storytelling. You have one dedicated to cats licking their buttholes, the cover art an appropriately minimalistic interpretation of the kitty’s chocolate starfish from Los Angeles artist Kat Philbin (whose work was also featured at the much-missed Dark Art Emporium).
At the same time, Carr said the festival’s mission extends beyond the featured selections.
Cat Zine Fest 2026 is more inclusive thanks to Cool Cat Collective’s open gallery concept.
“We wanted to be a very inclusive event,” Matt said. “Every single person who submitted was then offered to be a part of our open gallery tier for the show. They donate either a physical copy or a PDF that we will then sell on our website and 100% of the sales of that will go directly to our rescue partner TippedEars.”
That Open Gallery has grown to include roughly another 100 zines, bringing the total number available through the festival to nearly 150 works. Participants donate either physical copies or PDFs that are then made available through the shop and online.
That fundraising component reflects the broader mission of Cool Cat Collective, which has become one of Retro Row’s most unique destinations by combining retail, rescue work, community programming, and art under one roof.
In addition to donating all proceeds from Open Gallery sales, the collective will contribute $1 from every featured zine sold to TippedEars, the nonprofit rescue organization it regularly partners with. The result is a festival that celebrates both independent creativity and animal welfare while giving Long Beach residents a chance to explore an astonishing range of cat-inspired work from around the world.
So what, exactly, is the Cool Cat Collective for us that don’t know?
“We’re a gallery and boutique, to keep it simple,” Matt told me when the space opened. “But everything is cat-themed—it’s very niche.”
And when they say everything, they mean everything. Comic books—with cats. Art prints—with cats. Books, ceramics, home goods, greeting cards, art supplies, clothing, stickers. Turntable scratchers and desktop scratchers. Pins. Candles.
If it’s got a cat on it and some creative flair, you’ll likely find it here. And more artists are on the way: while Vargas kicked things off, the gallery has and will host multiple shows each year, all cat-centered—but often blended with other themes. (Think Halloween. Or goth. Or absurd.)
“It’s kind of surreal,” Jena, Matt’s wife and the other owner, said. “As a teenager, I’d shop on Retro Row and dream about having a space on 4th Street. I used to say I wanted to buy Meow and live in the apartments above it. This is a pretty great version of that dream.”
Cool Cat Collective is located at 2741 E. 4th St. Cat Zine Fest will formally kick off on Friday, June 26 at 6PM, when the shop will stay open until 9PM for Fourth Fridays.
