Long Beach’s Music Tastes Good festival won’t happen this year

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Scene from Music Tastes Good 2018 (Photo by Andie Mills)
Scene from Music Tastes Good 2018 (Photo by Andie Mills)

Music Tastes Good, the independent music and food festival that brought a diverse collection of fare to downtown Long Beach for the past three autumns, won’t happen this year.

“We will be taking a pause for the 2019 festival with hopes to return in 2020,” organizers said in a statement posted to MTG’s website on Thursday.

The festival launched in 2016, the vision of promoter/musician/Long Beach civic champion Josh Fischel. He died at age 47 just one week after the Specials, Iron & Wine, Sylvan Esso and Squeeze headlined the inaugural festival on the streets of downtown LBC. Music Tastes Good carried on the next two years in Marina Green Park. New Order, James Blake, Janelle Monae, Santigold and the Church were among the highlights last year.

The full statement from Music Tastes Good:

“Music Tastes Good visionary and founder, Josh Fischel, had two tattoos running lengthwise down each of his arms: ”CULTIVATE” and “ADAPT.” Since his passing after year one, it has been our honor, as the MTG team, to cultivate his vision. We now find ourselves at a place where we must adapt. In order to do so effectively, we will be taking a pause for the 2019 festival with hopes to return in 2020. In the meantime we will focus on producing some more intimate events for our fellow food and music lovers.

It is with deep gratitude and affection that we thank our friends, attendees and partners for their support over the years. Cheers to all the sounds, sights and tastes we’ve shared, and cheers to all that is to come.”

||| Previously: 2018 Day 1; 2018 Day 2; 2017 Day 1; 2017 Day 2; 2016 coverage