Rainbows (planned and otherwise) became a bit of a theme at the unveiling of the new Terrace Plaza Fountains at the Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center in Long Beach, CA, on May 11. The colorful water fountains were revealed at the 2018 Mayor's Pride Reception, which launched the Long Beach Pride events taking place in the city this month, and were punctuated with an actual rainbow in the sky as the sun went down.
Located on the Terrace Theater Plaza, just outside the 3,000-seat Terrace Theater, the new fountains can be used to create a "dancing waters" show, with meeting planners able to choose their own music, themes, and color schemes. The plaza itself can accommodate up to 930 people for a banquet and up to 2,500 for a reception.
The new fountain feature is the latest in a series of projects at the Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Complex in recent years. In part inspired by its role as the host for five years of the TED conference, which utilized the space in innovative ways, the center has spent more than $50 million creating unique "turnkey" event spaces outside its traditional meeting rooms. These include the Pacific Room at the Long Beach Arena, which can now be used for everything from sports events to lavish parties; the Cove, a new space for special events underneath the Terrace Theater Plaza and in front of the Seaside meeting rooms; and "The Rainbow Bridge," a pedestrian bridge that connects the center with the city's promenade area.
Near the convention center complex, the historic Breakers building (where Elizabeth Taylor and Conrad "Nicky" Hilton Jr. honeymooned) is being transformed into a boutique hotel with a rooftop pool and bar that will overlook the Terrace Theater Plaza and Ocean Boulevard. The new hotel's approximately 180 guest rooms will add to the 3,000 guest rooms (and 130 restaurants) located within walking distance of the center.