Long Beach Pride was back in May this year, a triumphant return to its typical schedule after two years of celebrating during the summer.

Sunday’s parade was as jubilant as ever, with thousands crowding Ocean Boulevard to watch floats, dancers and other displays.

The Dykes on Bikes motorcycle club lines up as they start the 41st Annual Long Beach Pride Parade in Long Beach, Sunday, May 19, 2024. Photo by Thomas R. Cordova.
A large Pride flag is carried through the 41st Annual Long Beach Pride Parade in Long Beach, Sunday, May 19, 2024. Photo by Thomas R. Cordova.

Unlike in the past, the city hosted and funded the parade this year, with Councilmember Cindy Allen championing a proposal for the Long Beach government to step in after a request for help from Long Beach Pride, the nonprofit that typically runs the event.

“Pride is an integral part of what makes Long Beach such an incredible place to live, to work, to play and to belong,” Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson said earlier this month as he and other city officials raised the Pride flag at City Hall.

The celebration, he said, represents an unwavering commitment to supporting the rights and freedoms of LGBTQ+ people and families.

Large crowds gather along Ocean Blvd. for the 41st Annual Long Beach Pride Parade in Long Beach, Sunday, May 19, 2024. Photo by Thomas R. Cordova.
David Duarte is set for the 41st Annual Long Beach Pride Parade in Long Beach, Sunday, May 19, 2024. Photo by Thomas R. Cordova.
Summer Daze, center, throws out beads as they and other drag queens ride a double-decker bus during the 41st Annual Long Beach Pride Parade in Long Beach, Sunday, May 19, 2024. Photo by Thomas R. Cordova.
A parade participant takes part in the 41st Annual Long Beach Pride Parade in Long Beach, Sunday, May 19, 2024. Photo by Thomas R. Cordova.
A large group of Pride parade participants sit apart from one another due to their balloons as they wait for the start of the 41st Annual Long Beach Pride Parade in Long Beach, Sunday, May 19, 2024. Photo by Thomas R. Cordova.
Summer Daze uses a parasol for shade while waiting for the start of the 41st Annual Long Beach Pride Parade in Long Beach, Sunday, May 19, 2024. Photo by Thomas R. Cordova.
A Freddie Mercury character plays his part in the 41st Annual Long Beach Pride Parade in Long Beach, Sunday, May 19, 2024. Photo by Thomas R. Cordova.
Sister Magically Delicious sits on a curb hours before the start of the 41st Annual Long Beach Pride Parade in Long Beach, Sunday, May 19, 2024. Photo by Thomas R. Cordova.

Jeremiah Dobruck is executive editor of the Long Beach Post where he oversees all day-to-day newsroom operations. In his time working as a journalist in Long Beach, he’s won numerous awards for his investigative reporting and editing. Before coming to the Post in 2018, he wrote for publications including the Press-Telegram, Orange County Register and Los Angeles Times. Reach him at [email protected] or @jeremiahdobruck on Twitter.