When environmentalists talk bicycle friendly cities, Amsterdam always comes up as the city to be envied. Well, Long Beach wants to become the most bicycle friendly city in America — the Amsterdam of California, so to speak, and is working hard to follow Holland’s footsteps. In fact, the Southern California will celebrate the Long Beach Bicycle Festival from May 7 to May 9 — complete with a film festival featuring a documentary that connects Long Beach to Amsterdam: Riding Bikes with the Dutch.

The headlining film of the festival, Riding Bikes with the Dutch — the brainchild of Long Beach resident and filmmaker Michael Bauch — highlights not high-speed bike racing or flashy bike maneuvers, but everyday cycling as a convenient, healthy, and eco-friendly mode of transportation.

In addition to the film fest, the Long Beach Bike Festival will feature everything from Fixed Gear Fest contests to a CYCLESTYLE Fashion Show. Bicyclists and the bike-curious will get to race in a Bike Push/Pull event, play bicycle polo, take a 30 mile “see cruise” ride around Long Beach, bid on bike-centric art works created by artists at the Plein Air Bicycle Painting event — and enjoy general festivities and merrymaking with food, music, bike-friendly vendors, and more.

The Long Beach Bicycle Festival celebrates and reinforces all the cyclist-friendly initiatives happening in the city, which has been making news with its recent bike-friendly initiatives. Earlier this year, the L.A. Times reported on how city’s “raised $17 million in state and federal grants to improve its bike system through traffic improvements, education and bike share programs.” The city even celebrated Earth Day by creating 2 additional miles of bike lanes.

Jealous that Long Beach gets its own bike film festival? Don’t despair — The next international Bicycle Film Festival will be in Los Angeles again before you know it.

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