Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center
Location	Long Beach, California
Coordinates	33°45′50″N 118°11′18″W / 33.76389°N 118.18833°W / 33.76389; -118.18833
Operator	ASM Global
Renovated	1994, 2013
Former names	Long Beach Convention Center (1978-90) Long Beach Civic Arena
Banquet/ballroom	9,700 (Top of the Lot) 2,272 (Grand Ballroom) 1,466 (Promenade Ballroom) 700 (Seaside Ballroom)
Theatre seating	14,500 (Long Beach Arena) 4,890 (Pacific Ballroom) 3,052 (Terrace Theater) 825 (Center Theater)
Enclosed space
• Total space	572,387 square feet (53,176.5 m2)
• Exhibit hall floor	224,000 square feet (20,800 m2)
• Breakout/meeting	38,757 square feet (3,600.6 m2)
• Ballroom	178,117 square feet (16,547.6 m2)
Public transit access	1st Street

The Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center is a huge place in Long Beach, California. It's where big events, shows, and performances happen. This center includes the Long Beach Convention Center, the Long Beach Arena, and the Long Beach Performing Arts Center. You can easily get there by taking the Los Angeles Metro Rail to the 1st Street station.

History of the Center

The first big public building here was the Long Beach Municipal Auditorium, built in 1905. A newer, larger Municipal Auditorium was finished in 1932. It stretched 500 feet into the water! This building was taken down in 1975 to make room for the modern convention center you see today.

Here are some old photos of the Municipal Auditorium:

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  An aerial view of the second Municipal Auditorium around 1930.

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  A look at the stage area, called the Proscenium, around 1930.

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  Inside the concert hall around 1930.

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  Looking towards the stage and concert hall around 1930.

Parts of the Center

The Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center has several important parts:

Long Beach Convention Center

This part is great for large events and meetings.

• Exhibit Halls A, B, and C: These are huge spaces for trade shows and exhibitions. They also have smaller meeting rooms.
• Promenade Ballroom: A large room that is 13,200 square feet, perfect for banquets and gatherings.
• Top of the Lot: This is an outdoor area on the upper deck of a parking lot, used for special events.
• Grand Ballroom: An even bigger room, 20,456 square feet, for very large events.
• Terrace Plaza: An outdoor area with a nice view.
• The Cove: Another unique event space.

Long Beach Arena

The Arena is a big stadium-like building for concerts and sports.

• Long Beach Arena: This part opened in 1962. It was connected to the old Municipal Auditorium before that building was removed.
• Pacific Ballroom: This is a special event space inside the Arena. It can be changed to fit different events, like concerts, and can seat up to 4,890 people.

Long Beach Performing Arts Center

This section is home to theaters for plays, musicals, and other performances.

• Terrace Theater
• Beverly O'Neill Theater

Convention Center Events

The Long Beach Convention Center has been used for many important events. During the COVID-19 pandemic in California, it became a place where many people received vaccinations. Later, it helped by providing emergency shelter for migrant children.

The convention center was also a host for the fencing competitions during the 1984 Summer Olympics. It will be an Olympic venue again in 2028 for indoor shooting events.

Long Beach Arena Highlights

Long Beach Arena

The Wyland Whaling Wall 33, "Planet Ocean", on the exterior of the arena
Capacity	14,500 (concerts) 12,500 (hockey) 14,000 (basketball)
Opened	1962
Tenants
Los Angeles Kings (NHL) (1967) Los Angeles Sharks (WHA) (1972-74) California Surf (NASL) (1980-81) Long Beach Ice Dogs (IHL) (WCHL) (ECHL) (1990-2007)

The Long Beach Arena was the first building in the complex to be finished in 1962. It can hold many people:

• 12,500 for ice hockey games.
• 14,000 for basketball games.
• Between 10,500 and 14,500 for concerts, depending on how the seats are arranged.

For big trade shows, the arena has 46,000 square feet of space. There's also extra space in the lobby and concourse. A large scoreboard hangs from the 77-foot-high ceiling, showing animations and scores. There is also a big LED screen on the south side of the arena.

Early Sports Teams

After it opened in 1962, the arena became home to the Long Beach Chiefs basketball team for a short time. In 1967, the arena hosted the first NHL game for an expansion team. The Los Angeles Kings played their first game here against the Philadelphia Flyers. The Kings used the arena for half a season while their main stadium, The Forum, was being built.

In the 1970s, the Los Angeles Sharks hockey team played some games here. The arena also hosted the Los Angeles Thunderbirds roller derby team often.

Music and Entertainment

Many famous musicians have performed at the Long Beach Arena.

• The Grateful Dead played 13 concerts here between 1972 and 1988.
• Elvis Presley performed four shows in 1972 and 1976.
• The Eagles played their last show for almost 14 years here in 1980.
• Iron Maiden performed four shows in 1985. One of these shows was recorded for their live album, Live After Death. The singer, Bruce Dickinson, famously shouted, "Scream for me, Long Beach!"
• Run–D.M.C. performed in 1986 with other hip-hop artists like LL Cool J and the Beastie Boys.
• New Japan Pro-Wrestling held its first independently promoted shows in the United States here in 2017.
• The Fox game show Game of Talents was filmed at the arena.

More Sports Events

The arena has hosted many college basketball tournaments.

• It was a site for the 1986 and 1990 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship games.
• In 1990, the Loyola Marymount Lions had an amazing run here, winning games shortly after their star player, Hank Gathers, passed away. His teammate, Bo Kimble, famously shot his first free throw left-handed in each game as a tribute.
• The arena was also home to the Long Beach Ice Dogs professional ice hockey team until 2007.
• It hosted the volleyball events for the 1984 Summer Olympics.
• The arena will host handball during the 2028 Summer Olympics.

Inside the Long Beach Arena during a game.

Arena During the Pandemic

During the COVID-19 pandemic in California, the Arena was set up as a medical facility. However, it was not needed for that purpose.

Wyland Murals: Planet Ocean

Wyland's signature on the Long Beach Arena.

On the outside wall of the round Arena building, you can see a giant mural called "Planet Ocean." It's one of environmental artist Wyland's famous "Whaling Walls." This huge painting, dedicated in 1992, covers 116,000 square feet! It shows gray whales migrating and other amazing sea creatures that live in the waters near Long Beach.

In 2009, Wyland refreshed the mural and added a large painting of the Earth on the arena's roof to celebrate Earth Day.

Meeting Rooms and Ballrooms

The Convention Center has two main ballrooms:

• The Grand Ballroom is 20,456 square feet and can seat up to 2,100 people.
• The Promenade Ballroom is 13,200 square feet and can seat up to 1,400 people.

There are also 34 other meeting rooms, adding up to 82,823 square feet of space.

Live Recordings from the Arena

Many artists have recorded live albums and videos at the Long Beach Arena, including:

• Deep Purple in 1971 and 1976
• The Who in 1971
• Led Zeppelin in 1972
• Leon Russell in 1972
• Electric Light Orchestra in 1974
• Eric Clapton in 1974
• Boston in 1977
• Richard Pryor in 1978
• Rick James in 1981
• Iron Maiden in 1985 (for their album Live After Death)
• W.A.S.P. in 1987
• Red Hot Chili Peppers in 1990
• No Doubt in 2002
• AFI in 2006
• Taking Back Sunday in 2006-2007
• The Used in 2007
• Avenged Sevenfold in 2008

Images for kids

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  A wide view of the Long Beach Arena.