Long Beach Pride
This year, the Long Beach Pride Parade and Celebration shifts its purpose, and party, to late summer, August 4-6.
What hasn’t changed is the significance of the event and how it showcases so much of what Long Beach is and aspires to be: inclusive, welcoming … and fun.
In its 40th year, Long Beach Pride has firmly established itself as one of the city’s most anticipated and popular events. Witness the fact that nearly 100,000 people flocked to it last year with similar crowds expected in 2023.
The parade, which takes place Sunday, Aug. 6 at 10:30 a.m., begins at the intersection of Ocean Boulevard and Lindero Avenue, proceeding west toward Alamitos Avenue.
The festival–which happens Aug.4-6–takes place along Shoreline Drive, at Marina Green Park (386 E. Shoreline Dr.) where there will be myriad experiences: fun zones, food courts, food trucks, arts/crafts vendors and community booths as well as all manner of the festival’s signature music offerings which take place on the Fiesta Caliente and Urban Stages as well as in the Dance Pavilion.
In many ways, Pride’s growth in popularity owes much to the fact that its principles of community speak to a city with such a rich tapestry of cultures. Long Beach has been named one of the best cities in the nation for LGBTQ+ inclusion by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation for a decade. When the announcement of that honor was made by then-mayor–now Congressman–Robert Garcia, the city’s first openly gay mayor, he said the city remains “a place where everyone – regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity – is welcome.”
To that end, Pride has followed a path to, as Pride executive committee member Elsa Martinez has put it, to strive to make the event the “gold standard for Pride festivals across the globe.” Central to that ambition is ensuring the festival has something to offer for pretty much everyone.
And so, there is Teen Pride, a series of events geared toward LGBTQ+ teens that include live DJs, performances and dancing all presented in a welcoming, safe environment. Likewise, there are fun zones for families as well as seniors. There will be historical context and drag shows, games, giveaways and lots more.
Of course, music has become central to Pride’s with a star-studded roster of major musical talent over the years that includes a couple of Dreamgirls (Jennifer Holliday and Jennifer Hudson), disco icons (The Village People, KC and the Sunshine Band and Eveyln “Champagne” King), as well as musicians representing a wide swath of styles, from The Bangles to “Supreme Diva of Mexican Pop” Gloria Trevi, Queen Latifah to Sara Bareilles.
Though this year’s headliners have yet to be announced–stay tuned–they no doubt represent an eclectic mix of music, from pop to rock, hip hop to country, jazz to Tejano.
For more information about Long Beach Pride Parade and Celebration, or to buy tickets, click here.
