People were walking around bundled up in thick sweaters, long scarves, and furry boots. Although the Santa Ana winds died down from the previous night, the air was still so cold that it felt like something was pinching your skin.
Bixby Knolls held its monthly First Fridays event last Friday, and the people of Long Beach came out onto Atlantic Avenue in mass to see a Christmas tree and Menorah light up.
Children dressed as elves, gingerbread people, presents and Santa Claus and while marching up and down the street, trying to coerce people to buy their cookies and drinks for a club they were representing.
The giant Expo Arts Center did not have a lot of paintings on display this month, but instead held a gift shop convention. People walked up and down the aisles of booths with a wide range of themes to shop from, including voodoo dolls and handbags.
A choir, all dressed in bright red garb, planted themselves at the staircase and sang some jingles as customers browsed for gifts for that certain someone.
MajicBulletTheory played jazz and funk music outside the Expo. Some people halted in their tracks as they heard Dave Williams' muffled, raspy trumpet. Mondo Reyes (bass) and Damien Smith (drums) worked together to make the ground rumble. A DJ spun his records in the background, making the band different than typical jazz bands.
Timstrument, the one-man band was one of the most interesting acts of the evening. Covered from head to toe with a variety of musical instruments, one man sat down and played them all at once. He did not want to talk to anyone, but wanted them to join in on the musical fun by picking up one of the instruments that he laid out next to him. One moment, a group of children were surrounding him banging on drums, another moment, a group of seniors rattled maracas to his beat.
The night was filled with delight and freezing temperatures, making it another successful First Fridays.
For more information, visit firstfridayslongbeach.com.
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