Imagine an art exhibition but instead of walking through a curated collection of art pieces, you walk through the City of Long Beach and your phone is the key to unlocking the exhibits. In the upcoming Long Beach AR Exhibition, participants can immerse themselves in an augmented version of Long Beach’s Downtown neighborhood while learning about the city’s historic past, diverse present, and potential future. 

This past spring, Long Beach invited the public to submit ideas to create AR experiences for Downtown Long Beach. Over 20 artists and AR developers answered the challenge, with teams hailing from Long Beach and across the globe. On August 8, from noon to five, the public is invited to engage with the different AR experiences while enjoying live music, food, and drinks at the Harvey Milk Promenade Park in Long Beach, CA. 

Some of the AR exhibits to be featured include:

• InCitu’s AR platform that immerses users in an under-construction development project in Downtown Long Beach and prompts them to provide feedback to the builders.
• EXAR Studios’ app that brings a music-themed mural to life by using the mural as an anchor to unlock various musical stations that highlight local artists.
• LB Lit’s face filter app that encourages users to post a photo in front of local restaurants to earn discounts and reveal historic facts about the location.

US Ignite in partnership with Facebook Reality Labs selected Long Beach as one of three communities to participate in the Augmented Reality Developer Challenge. Through these AR Developer Challenges we aim to facilitate community-driven development of AR applications to address local problems and opportunities. The other two communities selected were the city of Raleigh/Town of Cary, NC; and Philadelphia, PA. 

All are welcome to join the city of Long Beach for this first ever AR Exhibition and help select the best AR experiences in the exhibition. Winners will be announced at an end-of-day ceremony where $14,000 in cash prizes will be awarded. Event details are below, and you can learn more at: www.longbeach.gov/smartcity/news/lb-ar-exhibition-event/ 

Long Beach AR Exhibition
Sunday, August 8, 2021 – 12:00 – 5:00 PM
Harvey Milk Promenade Park – 185 E 3rd St, Long Beach, CA 90802

If you have any questions about the Augmented Reality Developer Challenge, or if you would like to collaborate with US Ignite on future opportunities, please contact [email protected].