Disco fever continues to take over Long Beach: After two wildly successful disco’n’throwback events on The Queen Mary—one back in March for Long Beach Last Call that drew in 500 and another this month to kick off Grand Prix weekend that brought in nearly 700—disco will meet Star Wars on May the 4th, Long Beach. Oh yes, there is a “Death Star Disco” event that will encourage people to dress up as Diana Ross or Princess Leia or a combination of both come Saturday, May 4, at Altar Society in Downtown Long Beach.
Hold up—May the 4th in Long Beach has a disco event? Yes—and costumes are encouraged
May 4 is a huge day for Star Wars fans—and for obvious reasons: the playful rewording of its famed “May the Force be with you” phrase has resulted in an annual celebration of that science fiction phenomenon, be it days dedicated solely to the films at Disneyland or cosplay events (kinda like this one).
For this May the 4th Long Beach event, DJ Tomas Moves—he’s the guy who also played the events at The Queen Mary—brings his Paradisco brand to the massive event space inside Altar Society. And with him, the sweet sounds of disco, funk, and throwbacks stretching from the 1980s to the 2000s.
“I want people to channel their inner disco diva or unleash the force as their favorite Star Wars character because the dance floor transcends galaxies,” Tomas said.
And he means it: Sip on cocktails that pay homage to both iconic realms, from the sparkling Tatooine Twist to the electrifying Disco Death Star. Join fellow rebels and disco jedis as they boogie through the night in a fusion of retro vibes and cosmic energy, making memories in a galaxy, well, not so far away.
In other words: May the funk be with you during May the 5th Long Beach. Tickets are $10.
So what’s the story behind Altar Society?
The Masonic Temple standing at 230 Pine Ave.—arguably Pine Avenue’s truly oldest building given its complete construction in 1903 by architect Henry Starbuck; others say it is the building that houses L’Opera, which had its first three stories completed in 1900 but was eventually built upon to create what is now standing at the northwest corner of 1st and Pine—has a storied history.
And its storied history continues even when it reaches contemporary times: It was once home to interior design chain Z Gallerie before shuttering in 2010, then converted to a relatively short-lived events space in 2014 when its facade was restored and its interior brought back to life, and now? Well, it’s now a brewery, of course.
Don’t be deceived by the building’s gorgeous but modestly-sized facade, with its brick and three-peaked gables: Like the pseudo-secret society that owned and operated the building when it was first constructed, the outside is not at all what reflects what is actually on the inside.
Altar Society is big. Not just kinda big but massive, sprawling four levels (if you include the basement), and stretching the entirety of its Pine Avenue-facing entryway to Tribune Court, the alleyway which will eventually be connected to the Promenade via a paseo running under the opening-in-May Inkwell residential building.
And its massive top-floor space has already been home to multiple music events: From trance parties and music-centric weddings to after party digs and mini concerts. So it is not shocking that for its first May the 4th event, it will be home a disco extravaganza.
Disco Death Star is on Saturday, May 4, from 8PM to midnight at Altar Society, located at 230 Pine Ave. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased here.
