“What I love about DTLB Art + Design Walk is that it makes space for people to come together around creativity. Not in some fancy, exclusive way, but right here in the middle of downtown.”

These are the words of Asia Morris, the woman who helms communications for the DTLB Alliance but is also an artist herself. And it speaks volumes about why something like this event is so essential. The DTLB Art + Design Walk is more than just a celebration of creativity—it’s a catalytic force in reshaping how Downtown Long Beach defines and designs itself.

What began as a modest art walk reboot has evolved into an expansive urban movement that now threads together architecture, community, fashion, culinary arts, and public space in one cohesive, neighborhood-spanning experience. The Walk doesn’t just feature art—it invites the public into the very process of placemaking, turning the streets, alleys, and storefronts of DTLB into a living gallery of design thinking and cultural storytelling. And with the loss of one of the spirits essential in its revival—the beautiful soul that was Rhonda Love—this particular iteration seems all the more important.

“You can wander into a gallery, catch a pop-up, hear live music, see a mural go up, all in one night,” Asia said. “It’s such a great reminder of how much talent and energy exists here in Long Beach.”

Mosaic Art Village

This is what could be called the major art hub of the event—just check out this stellar lineup of artists being featured on the above-3rd Street stretch of The Promenade:

• Compound LB
• Studio One Eleven
• KLBP Broadcast & DJs
• Kathy Lin
• Scum Choir
• Eric Magun
• Treasures of Andes
• Bon Senske Art
• Mitchell Itliff

The Money Train showing at the former Acres of Books space

The Money Train: The Last Mile from Track to Table isn’t your typical design exhibition—it’s a brash, speculative look at how the very infrastructure we rely on to get around could also nourish the communities it moves through. Featured at the LA Design Festival when it was hosted here in Long Beach, its a bold grab for the DTLB Art + Design Walk. Curated by Kevin Sherrod, the project reimagines commuter rail not just as a mode of transportation, but as a platform for food equity, mobile commerce, and neighborhood resilience—particularly in historically underserved areas.

The concept hinges on the idea of the “last mile”—not just the final stretch of a delivery route, but the crucial gap between access and impact. What if that last mile wasn’t a logistical headache but an opportunity for transformation? Grounded in research from the USC School of Architecture and developed in collaboration with Logos Faith Development, the exhibition explores how vacant or underused church properties could become community anchors—places that offer more than worship: think fresh groceries, cafés, even libraries—right along that final stretch from train to doorstep.

It’s a compelling argument for rethinking how we design cities: not around cars or commerce alone, but around people and their everyday needs. “The Money Train” asks us to consider what it might look like if public infrastructure was used to close the gaps—geographic, economic, and nutritional—that define inequity in so many urban neighborhoods. And in doing so, it reframes transit as not just a system of movement, but of care.

COVERS Art Show at Record Box

Melding art’s longtime affair with music for the DTLB Art + Design Walk, this show features over 30 artists re-imagining album covers. And, of course, they will have a full music schedule:

• 2 PM: DJ Quatrecina 
• 2:45 PM: DJ Romy Rome 
• 3:30 PM: DJ Soluz 
• 4:30 PM: DJ Abel 
• 5:30 PM: DJ Uneek 
• 6:30 PM: Chepe 
• 7:15 PM: Zaire Black

Voices in Color at Altar Society

We all know Altar Society is one of DTLB’s most unique, distinct spaces. And it has long been a patron of the arts, having hosted live music and art shows since opening. This is no exception. This multi-level, multi-sensory experience will have music thanks to Secret Service, a longtime partner at Altar. Live paintings. A pop-up art store by Art Supply Warehouse…

Simply put: rad.

On the Edge at Loiter Galleries

Loiter Galleries in Long Beach is one of our most underrated art spaces. The nonprofit art gallery has long helped local artists with affordable gallery space, promotion, and support. And beyond that, whether it’s trying to animate local points of interest via projection mapping or just simply supporting artists who don’t have the proper resources to promote themselves, one should never skip a show at Loiter.

BEING, the LBCC student-curated show amplifying BIPOC femme and queer artists

Of personal importance to me, this student-led exhibit’s focus is clear. And that is queer art from BIPOC femme and queer artists. With it, the exhibit showcases some of the most provocative and rising artists within the queer art world.

Stand Strong, the Long Beach Walls closing party at The Edison Theatre with Thinkspace Projects

Join the Long Beach Walls team from 4PM to 10PM for the closing celebration of the Stand Strong exhibit—a night that brings together everything this city does best: bold art, deep culture, and an unshakable sense of community. It’s all made possible by the powerhouse that is Thinkspace Gallery, in partnership with Long Beach Walls and Art Renzei. RSVP is free—click here to get on the list.

If you’re not familiar, Thinkspace has been one of the most vital forces in L.A.’s art scene since 2005. Their commitment to the New Contemporary Art Movement has not only spotlighted emerging and established artists alike, but has helped blur the lines between street art, pop surrealism, and fine art in ways that feel refreshingly relevant. Their global reach is real—but this night is for Long Beach.

Meander Lincoln Park’s activities and activations.

Lincoln Park will have two major activities going on:

• Arts Council for Long Beach’s Shape of Long Beach etchings project will host two tours—one at 3PM , another at 4:30PM—learning about aspects of Long Beach history that have shaped the city to what it is now. Project artists have been invited to join the tours and share the inspiration behind the historical marker, the artistic expression, and what it means to the greater Long Beach history.
• Long Beach Walls will unveil their Roshi-led skate park mural.

Explore actual art in our East Village Arts District

Multiple activations include:

• Clay on First: Solo Ceramics Exhibition by Evan Lopez & Free Pottery Lessons
• Live Music: Mason Rygh
• Long Beach Walls: 1st Street Mural by Eric Michael
• Pop-up: Childrens Toy Swap

For a full, interactive map of the DTLB Art + Design Walk, click here.