Festival fills Long Beach with music and dancing

Attendees danced and celebrated their community with live music and a handmade goods marketplace under the sun during the annual No Parking on the Dancefloor festival.

The end of summer bash was held on fourth street in the parking lot next to locally owned, Native Sol, a shop on 4th Street, who presented the event.

“This event is all about community, promoting diversity, and just celebrating each other,” said May Salem, festival organizer and owner of Native Sol. “I hope this festival will foster opportunities for organic connections, be them networking opportunities, friendships or even love.”

Healer, Reina Prado led the crowd in an opening ceremony which culminated in a sun salutation, setting positive intentions for the rest of the day.

Vendors and attendees remarked on how much of an impact the festival had on them.

“I am so grateful for the exposure and the overall sense of community being here is providing me with,” said Kelsey Cooper, who had a booth set up for her handmade goods business, Kelso Doesn’t Dance,  which specializes in air plant holders and prisms.

The artists on the musical lineup, specially curated by Salem and her partner Tyrone Maximum, were a big draw for festival goers. 

“Ty and May have a sophistication with music that makes this lineup epic,” said Zaire Black, resident MC for No Parking on the Dancefloor. 

Cultural appreciation was on full display when Taller Bula took to the stage. They are a large Puertorican band, complete with singers, drummers, and dancers. The jovial performers treated the crowd to ancestral rhythms that highlighted their heritage.

“This is such a diverse crowd,” said Josh Rivera, an attendee and Long Beach local. “This is cool because I don’t have to travel to a bunch of different places to see a variety of musicians. I am most excited to see Frosty though.”

Frosty, poet and MC hit the stage with 4 piece band, the 5000s, for an energetic set, complete with smooth vocals and poignant lyrics. She was joined on stage by fellow MC, Samy Love, for a performance of their song, “VLR”, which stands for “Viva La Raza, an idea that celebrates Chicano culture and the beauty of life as a whole. The pair have been making music together since 2020.

“To be here today is so special. It’s about building community. It’s about love,” said Samy Love. “And love is the most powerful force there is. It’s because of love that I get to do this.”

Beatjunkies’ DJ Babu took to the stage with surprise guest, Rakaa of Dilated Peoples while the all-ages crowd breakdanced and sang along to hits like, “This Way” while Babu’s scratches laced each track. 

No Parking on the Dancefloor culminated with an electric performance from headliner, Gaslamp Killer who played a mix of genres from funk to soul, electronic and house and everything in between. Flying Lotus’s “Do the Astral Plane” blared from the speakers as Gaslamp Killer bobbed his signature curls in time with the crowd, a golden sunset shrouding everyone in a soft glow.

When asked about plans for an expansion on the festival in the coming years, Salem grinned.

“In the next five years? We’re taking over this whole street,” she said.