After a six-year hiatus, Make Music Long Beach returned in 2025 with a simple but ambitious goal: fill the city with as much live music as possible. Now, organizer and local musician David Sauer is hoping the international celebration can gain deeper roots across Long Beach as it gears up for its second year back on June 21.
Part of the worldwide Make Music Day movement—which spans more than 2,000 cities globally—the event encourages anyone and everyone to participate in live music, regardless of experience level, genre, or venue size. For David, who performs under the name One High Five and serves on the board of the Arts Council for Long Beach, the appeal is rooted in accessibility and jubilation.
“Part of this event is just sharing in the joy of live performance,” David said. “Having Long Beach join that kind of global chorus is a wonderful thing.”
Make Music Long Beach is wonderful in spirit, yes. But, this year, it needs more awareness and support.
While last year’s revival helped reintroduce the event to the city, David said awareness—and broader support—remain the biggest challenges moving forward.
“Awareness is still the key issue,” David said. “It’s still about getting people on the same page—and that isn’t always easy.”
It feels like David is prescient in a particular sense, given his call for support comes just as the city is taking the idea of making live music easier to achieve: In approving a contract with Sound Diplomacy, the globally recognized consulting firm specializing in music and creative economy planning, the Long Beach City Council has formally launched work on an Entertainment Strategic Plan.
The intention? To define how Long Beach grows its music, entertainment, and tourism sectors with actual policies behind the ambition. The contract allocates $125,000, plus a 10% contingency of $12,500, bringing the total authorized amount to $137,500—drawn from the $150,000 that the City Council had already earmarked in FY25 for the project.
‘We have more musicians than venues:’ The call for local establishments to step in to host for Make Music Long Beach.
This year’s Make Music Long Beach is already seeing increased participation from musicians, though David noted the event still needs more businesses, venues, and community spaces willing to activate themselves for the day.
“We have more musicians than venues,” David said. “And I’m trying to turn that around through the business districts, really kind of rallying for their businesses to participate.”
And for hosts, the barrier to entry is intentionally low.
“As long as it’s free to the public and accessible to the public, then put it on the map and register it as an event for Make Music Day,” he said. “It’s all about free, accessible events to the public.”
Support has come from organizations like the Long Beach Area Chamber of Commerce and the Wrigley Association, along with outreach assistance from business district leaders, including Blair Cohn. Still, David emphasized that organizing a citywide, decentralized music event remains a complicated balancing act—especially when it comes to navigating permits and finding accessible public spaces.
The spirit of Make Music Long Beach is way beyond formal music venues.
One of the larger goals for this year is creating a more visible central hub. David said organizers are currently working on programming the bandshell at Recreation Park Bandshell as a youth-focused stage while continuing efforts to activate parks and neighborhoods throughout the city.
“The whole goal of Make Music Day is to, quite frankly, just make music,” David said. “Any way that you feel comfortable and want to explore that, you’re more than welcome to.”
That philosophy extends far beyond traditional concerts. David envisions front porch performances, impromptu sing-alongs, marching kazoo bands, barbershop quartets performing inside actual barbershops, and neighborhood-level experimentation that blurs the line between performer and participant.
“One of the staples of this event is that it’s about any age, any skill level, any genre—hands down, it is one of the best aspects of this event,” he said.
The shift in the city’s culture toward live music aligns with everything Make Music Long Beach upholds.
David also believes the event arrives at a pivotal time for Long Beach’s broader cultural identity, particularly as city leaders increasingly embrace music-centered initiatives and conversations around becoming a more “music-friendly” city.
“There’s a great artistic and diverse music community here,” David said. “Getting us all involved as much as possible and trying to fill the streets with as much music as possible is wonderful.”
For now, the focus is on outreach, awareness, and participation. David said organizers are encouraging both musicians and businesses to register online and help shape what Make Music Long Beach can become over the coming years.
“The idea of lending your voice to this global chorus and knowing that people across the world are doing this at the same time is so cool,” he said. “I couldn’t help but take the opportunity to help organize this.”
Additional lineup details and programming announcements are expected later this spring as organizers finalize participating venues and stages.
So, what is Make Music?
Make Music is a global annual celebration on June 21, coinciding with the summer solstice. Beginning in France in 1982 as the Fête de la Musique, it has since grown into an international phenomenon. That means 120 countries across 1,000-plus cities worldwide.
In the United States, Make Music has been embraced by numerous cities, including Long Beach and L.A. Local organizations and volunteers coordinate events that reflect their communities’ diverse musical landscapes. The day attempts to showcase a rich tapestry of sounds, from jazz ensembles and rock bands to classical quartets and hip-hop artists.
For those interested in participating or attending events, the official Make Music website provides resources and information on local happenings. And yes, this includes the Long Beach event. Whether you’re a musician looking to perform or someone eager to experience live music in your community, Make Music Day offers an opportunity to engage.
Slowly but surely: Long Beach’s return to being a music-centric city.
Last year’s event was terrific. Went to a few venues including a rocking show at the Auld Dubliner.
This could be a strong annual event as our music scene grows. Let’s step up Long Beach.
I’m interested in these music events at LB locations.