Despite an announcement circulating online that the annual Long Beach Veterans Day Parade in North Long Beach was canceled this year, city officials stressed that the event will still be held as scheduled.
“Yes, the parade is happening,” said Tasha Day, manager of the city’s Special Events & Filming bureau.
The confusion began when the committee behind the parade that has been happening for over 20 years posted on its website that it was canceled and then released a statement Thursday as to why.
The Long Beach Veterans Day Committee said after numerous attempts to meet and seek clarification on new city procedures for events, the committee “had no choice but to not sponsor this year’s parade.”
“The committee has made several attempts, as early as May 2019, to coordinate parade logistics with the City of Long Beach Bureau of Special Events & Filming, to no avail,” Gus Orozco, chair of the committee, said in a statement.
Orozco stated that the committee has missed crucial logistical deadlines “and can no longer execute the best parade possible.”
Day said city staff attempted to meet but coordinating a meeting with a large group was difficult; Special Events is still open to meeting with them. She said there has not been any changes to the procedures involving the bureau, only to how the city handles funding and sponsorships.
Day said while the committee has been in charge of coordinating parade entries, Special Events has been the organizer of the event for multiple years and will take over duties previously done by the committee to ensure a smooth event.
The event is scheduled to take place Saturday, Nov. 9. The parade will continue on Atlantic Avenue as it has for years, ending with a celebration occurring on the parade route.