Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
Long Beach's LGBT pride festival features parade, performances and mass wedding
File: A man carries a rainbow flag and whistle at the L.A. Pride Parade on June 8, 2014 in West Hollywood.
(
David McNew/Getty Images
)
(
Long Beach Pride
)
(
Long Beach Pride
)
West Hollywood might be considered the local hub of Los Angeles's LGBT population, but once a year, a stretch of Long Beach is home to one of the biggest displays of pride in the Southland.
Established in October 1983, the nation's third largest LGBT pride parade and festival gets over 80,000 participants over its two-day run, according to their website.
Pride events have been going on all week, but the 33rd annual festival officially kicks off Saturday. From 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, guests can enjoy live music, food and more. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased here.
This year's theme is "Solidarity through Pride," but the festival site — which will stretch along Shoreline Village Drive and Ocean Boulevard — will encompass seven main areas, each with their own theme, tailored to a specific audience.
Support for LAist comes from
There will be several stages, including a country stage, dance stage, "Fiesta Caliente" stage, urban soul stage, teen pride and a tent that will include of a colossal amount of black leather. The main stage will feature different musical performers each day, including Neon Trees, Ivy Queen, Elvis Crespo and Havana Brown, among others.
Here's a rundown of the festival grounds (You can see a larger version here):
(
Long Beach Pride
)
See a full list of the stages and activities here.
Don't be fooled by the 20 bar stations along the route, the festival also offers a family zone with carnival games and kid-friendly entertainment. (There's also a teen zone.)
At 9:45 a.m. Sunday, the Long Beach city clerk will preside over a mass wedding ceremony. A procession will follow to mark the last day of celebrations, beginning at at Ocean Boulevard and Lindero Avenue at 10:15 a.m.. It will head down Ocean and will culminate at Alamitos Boulevard near the festival grounds.
A shuttle service will be provided courtesy of Long Beach Transit and will run all day. For a schedule and location of shuttle stops, visit their website. You can also catch a Lyft; the service is offering $10 off your first two rides if you use their promotional code "LBPride16."
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
The critical findings are part of long-awaited after-action report was released Thursday. It contains recommendations for increasing emergency staffing and updating old systems. -
Diving has changed, mountain biking has been added. Here's where to watch the Olympics in person in 2028. -
'A Great Day in the Stoke' is a free, daylong event in Orange County billed as 'the largest gathering of Black surfers in history.' The fourth annual festival is set for Saturday in Huntington Beach. -
Kimmel returned less than a week after ABC suspended his show over comments he made about the assassination of right wing activist Charlie Kirk. -
Southern California might see some light rain tonight into Wednesday morning. After that, cooler weather is on the way, but expect the humidity to remain. -
A gate tax at Disney? It's a possibility.
Best of LAist