$55 parking, shuttles and water taxis: how will 11,000 people get to Long Beach’s new amphitheater?

Long Beach this week is putting the final touches on its new waterfront amphitheater: painting row numbers, setting up concession stands, fine-tuning the stage and laying plans to get 11,000 people to and from the venue with very little on-site parking.

The newly named F&M Bank Amphitheater sits next to the Queen Mary, on an old port pier nearly surrounded by water. There’s one small bridge connecting it to downtown Long Beach, a ramp to the 710 Freeway and no room for thousands of cars.

On Saturday, when Snoop Dogg opens the venue with a concert, the city’s plans to get people there smoothly will be tested for the first time. Here’s how they hope it will work.

How will parking work?

There will not be any general admission parking at the amphitheater, but attendees can opt for a shuttle, water taxis, rideshare, bike, e-scooter or bus to get to the venue.

Anyone with a ticket for Saturday’s show can hop on the free shuttle from the parking lot on Shoreline Drive south of Ocean Boulevard, said Meredith DeSanti, a spokesperson for Legends Global, the venue’s operator.

Parking in that lot will cost $55, purchased ahead of time through the ParkWhiz app.

The shuttles start running at 4 p.m., and the venue opens at 5 p.m., with the show scheduled to start at 7 p.m. Shuttle service will also run after the show ends.

The Queen Mary serves as a backdrop for the new F&M Bank Amphitheater in Long Beach on Thursday, June 4, 2026. Photo by Thomas R. Cordova. Hoping to keep concertgoers entertained before the show, there will also be free admission to the Queen Mary on concert days, DeSanti said.

You can also get to the waterfront venue by water: AquaLink boats run by Long Beach Transit will leave every 30 minutes from a dock near the Aquarium of the Pacific before and after the show. They cost $5 for a round trip.

There will also be storage outside the venue for bikes and e-scooters.

Hoping to boost the tourism economy

At a ribbon-cutting for the venue on Thursday, Mayor Rex Richardson hailed the opening as “a major milestone for our economy.”

City officials are essentially betting on the amphitheater help replace declining oil revenue, drawing in tourists — and their tax dollars — while bolstering foot traffic downtown.

“You can show up early, grab a bite, have a drink, a little pregame, stay the night at one of our incredible hotels,” Richardson said Thursday.

Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson speaks before the ribbon cutting for the new F&M Bank Amphitheater of Long Beach on Thursday, June 4, 2026. Photo by Thomas R. Cordova. City Manager Tom Modica echoed that, encouraging ticketholders to return to downtown Long Beach after the concert to “spend time and invest in our businesses and our beautiful downtown.”

The $21.3 million venue was originally promised to open in fall 2025 and have a $14 million price tag. But the city altered plans midstream to add upgraded seating and a VIP lounge, along with two more screens on stage. Increased construction and labor costs also inflated the bottom line.

Projections shared previously by the city’s Economic Development Department estimate the venue should pay for itself within eight years, with a projected $7.4 million in profit over its final two years of operation.

Long Beach is paying the massive venue-management company Legends/ASM Global to run the amphitheater. Their contract includes a $15,000 monthly fee for consulting work until it opens and a $300,000 annual fee thereafter.

Farmer & Merchants Bank purchased the naming rights for the venue for an undisclosed amount. The Long Beach Post has submitted a request to review that contract.

Ice Cube, Lil Wayne, Toto and Luke Bryan are a few of the artists signed on to perform at the venue through August.