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It’s officially summer in Southern California and that means one thing…It’s POW! WOW! season! Starting June 24, the seven-day street art festival arrives at Long Beach – the latest city to enter our network of non-stop flights between the U.S. mainland and Hawaii

The SoCal festival is kicking off its fourth year by bringing a new roster of outstanding artists to the city’s creative center. Since its inception, more than 50 POW! WOW! artists from throughout the world have beautified over 40 square miles of Long Beach with colorful murals. The result: an unparalleled walkable and bikeable public art experience.

To help you get ready for this year’s celebrations, we talked story with POW! WOW! Long Beach Director Tokotah Ashcraft for her go-to spots along this year’s festival route. Check ‘em out, mark up your maps (click here to view) and get ready for another incredible year!

Hawaiian Airlines has been the official airline sponsor of POW! WOW! Hawai‘i, the hometown of the global art, culture and music celebration, since its inception in 2013. Under the vision of its O‘ahu-based lead directors, Jasper Wong and Kamea Hadar, the once-grassroots festival expanded into cities worldwide, including a handful of our own destinations: Tokyo, Seoul, San Francisco, Long Beach and more. To learn more, visit www.powwowhawaii.com.

Stay tuned for more updates from Hawaiian Airlines at this year's POW! WOW! Long Beach festival.


FIRST STOP: POKÉ BAR

First things first, treat yourself to some vitamin sea at the Poké Bar in the East Village Art District. On your way out, turn the building’s corner and check out the amazing Nate Frizzell mural painting of his son perched in the alleyway.

DID YOU KNOW: Hitotzuki and POW! WOW! co-lead director Kamea Hadar collaborated with Hawaiian Airlines in 2016 to paint a mural on one of our service vehicles. Click here to read the full story.

poke bar

 

SECOND STOP: HITOTZUKI MURAL

The interTrend Communications office, located at 228 East Broadway, is home to our POW! WOW! Long Beach team. The historical building houses the amazing Hitotzuki mural, one of my personal favorites. 

intertrend

 

THIRD STOP: STEELHEAD COFFEE

Get your caffeine fix at Steelhead Coffee, one of the best coffee shops in the California Heights neighborhood, and marvel at the mural created by artists Andrew Hem, Yoskay Yamamoto, and Edhin Ushiro. Before you go, you must try their famous lavender latte!

carl heights

 

FOURTH STOP: TELMO MIEL MURAL

The Telmo Miel mural is a must-see. The wall sits in the heart of Long Beach and across the street from my favorite eateries, including Beachwood BBQ, Michael’s Pizzeria, and Congregation Ale House.

telmo miel

 

FIFTH STOP: POW! WOW! LONG BEACH POP-UP SHOP

Don’t forget to visit the annual POW! WOW! Long Beach pop-up shop at MADE by Millworks. It’s open during the 2018 festival period (June 24-30) and is where you can score all of this year’s latest gear, such as hats, tees, mugs, and even artwork by local favorites, The Draculas! 

pop-up shop

 

SIXTH STOP: RETRO ROW

Retro Row (aka Fourth Street) is Long Beach’s hub for creative, vintage fashion. Before you hunt for your next closet treasure, check out the dancers on the Kashnik mural. Located in the heart of Retro Row, it was painted during our 2016 festival to remember the lives lost in the Orlando and Paris shootings. 

marina mural

 

FINAL STOP: HULA MARINA MURAL

Finally, you’ve got to snag a picture of our favorite mural by Hula in the Long Beach marina. The artist painted for several hours in a boat and battled changing tides to bring this gorgeous image to life.

marina girl