Long Beach Pride is back for its 40th anniversary with a weekend packed full of events performances and of course, the annual parade that will engulf Ocean Boulevard in a wave of color.
Though Pride is typically celebrated during the month of June, Long Beach has been showing out since May, with the Long Beach Proud! Fest and events planned throughout the month following.
This year’s Pride parade and festival were scheduled for August so as to not compete with other Pride parades and festivals happening in surrounding Los Angeles and San Diego.
“We had rain in 2019, and when we came back after two-year break last year, we had it in July, but this year we were going up against the Pride celebration in West Hollywood, and in July there was Pride in San Diego, so we didn’t want to go against that, so we chose August as the best time to hold our festival,” said Elsa Martinez, co-president of Long Beach Pride.
Festivities kick off on Friday, Aug. 4, with a Teen Pride Festival at Rainbow Lagoon Park from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. that will include a live DJ, performances and dancing “geared towards LGBTQ+ teens in the Long Beach area in a safe environment,” according to the LB Pride website.
The festival will then continue Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 5 and 6, at 11 a.m. and will feature various musical performances from Grammy Award-winning artist Mya and actress/singer Laura León, who will both be headlining the show. (Mya will be performing both days and León will be headlining on Sunday.)
In addition to musical performances, the festival at Marina Green Park will host activations and pop-ups throughout the park from various event sponsors.
This year’s festival will also feature a Drag Dome presented by Hamburger Mary’s—a myriad of drag shows featuring celebrity drag queens such as Mayhem Miller, Jasmine Masters, Delta Work and more.
Single-day tickets start at $40 and can be purchased here.
The weekend will culminate in the annual Pride parade on Sunday, Aug. 6, at 10:30 a.m.
Like in years past, the parade route will begin on Ocean Boulevard at Linden Avenue and travel south to Alamitos Avenue where it will end. Ocean Boulevard will be closed between Lindero Avenue and Alamitos Avenue on Sunday morning as well as all intersecting side streets including Linden Avenue, Atlantic Avenue, Broadway Court and Lime Avenue.
Following the parade, Hotel Maya will present “Mariachi Arcoiris de Los Angeles,” the world’s first LGBTQ+ mariachi band, during its Pride brunch at its Fuego restaurant at 700 Queensway Drive from 12-3 p.m.
With this year marking the event’s 40th anniversary, LB Pride has a long list of 10 Grand Marshals it will honor during this weekend’s festivities, including Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson and the Mary Jane Girls, an R&B girl group who were proteges of Rick James and were known for their ’80s hits like “In My House,” and “Wild and Crazy Love.”
The Los Angeles Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, an LGBTQ+ nonprofit known for its members dressing in drag as nuns and who were caught in a swarm of controversy this year over the groups participation in the Los Angeles Dodgers Pride Night, will also be honored.
Parking for all events this weekend will be available at the Long Beach Convention Center and on city lots in the area. To see the location of city lots, click here.
Marina Green Park is located at 386 E Shoreline Drive.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to include information on an event at the Hotel Maya following the Pride parade.