LA Pride returns to its roots this weekend, with a parade that had it’s beginnings in 1970 on Hollywood Boulevard — and an A-lister headlining this year’s musical performances.
The Los Angeles festival will be the biggest in a host of similar LGBTQ celebrations taking place throughout Southern California in June, which is officially “Pride Month.” The LA Pride Parade & Festival will return to an in-person party after going virtual the previous two years because of the coronavirus pandemic.
“LA Pride is ready to celebrate our community’s resilience and strength together, Sharon-Franklin Brown, board president for LA Pride organizer Christopher Street West Association, said in a statement earlier this year. “It’s why we wanted to share the dates now. It’s an incredible honor to resume such an iconic celebration for 2022.”
Pride in the Park, an outdoor musical event at the L.A. State Historic Park, 245 N. Spring St., will kick things off from 1 to 11 p.m. Saturday, June 11, and will feature, among other performers, pop superstar Christina Aguilera.
The 2022 LA Pride Parade, on Hollywood Boulevard, will begin at 10:30 a.m. Sunday, June 12. There will also be a Pride Village on the boulevard between Cahuenga Boulevard and Vine Street.
Grand marshals include transgender rights advocate Sir Lady Java, actor Mark Indelicato and Los Angeles icon Paula Abdul, who rose to fame as one of the original Laker Girls and, decades later, was one of the judges on “American Idol.”
The LA Pride Parade began in June 1970 to commemorate New York City’s 1969 Stonewall Rebellion.
The two-day event celebrating the LGBTQ community has since grown to be the largest such event in Southern California — and one of the biggest in the country — with hundreds of thousands gathering for LA Pride each year.
But LA Pride missed its 50th anniversary in 2020 because of the pandemic.
This year’s parade will boast more than 130 entries, including floats, marchers, trucks, exotic cars, twirlers and other performers.
The parade route will begin on Hollywood Boulevard at Cahuenga, then travel south on Highland to Sunset Boulevard. The parade will travel east on Sunset before returning to Cahuenga.
That happens to be the original location for the parade.
“We considered many options for the parade, both traditional and progressive,” Gerald Garth, CSW’s vice president of programs and initiatives, said in a statement earlier this year. “Hollywood as the original historical location for the first Los Angeles protest 50 years ago was a natural choice to honor what Pride really means and where Pride will go in the future.”
LA Pride, though, isn’t the only way to celebrate and honor the LGBTQ community this month.
Long Beach will host the region’s other major parade and festival from July 8 to 10 after going virtual the previous two years.
The July dates are a change from when Long Beach Pride has typically taken place, which is May. Long Beach Pride began in 1984 and typically attracts more than 75,000 people.
The change, organizers have said, is intended to allow celebrants to enjoy the beautiful downtown Long Beach views with warmer and longer days.
The parade, on Sunday, July 10, with be Long Beach’s 37th iteration.
The three-day Long Beach festival will include a rainbow roller rink, a silent disco, community walls for guests to share their stories and a drag makeup glam squad — who can give full makeovers, or just a quick touch up. There will be family- and senior-specific zones as well.
Pride will also feature the Transcendence Dome, a pop-up museum that will pay tribute to the transgender women of color who pioneered the festival.
And Long Beach has some musical headliners of its own: Rapper Iggy Azalea and Spanish singer-songwriter Natalia Jiménez will headline this year’s festival.
“This year’s Long Beach Pride will be our biggest,” Elsa Martinez, president of Long Beach Pride, said in a press release, “and will become the gold standard for Pride festivals across the globe.”
Pride Month activities aren’t reserved for only those two weekends.
San Pedro Pride, for example, will sponsor an outdoor party from 1 to 9 p.m. June 18 at 425 W. Fifth St. A Pride flag will be raised at Sixth Street and Harbor Boulevard, near the Los Angeles Maritime Museum.
That same day will also feature Catalina Island’s first large-scale Pride celebration. Catalina Pride will take place from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. in Avalon and will feature a march and live entertainment.
And then, on June 24, LA Pride will return with an after-hours party at Universal Studios. That party will take place from 4 p.m. to 1 a.m.
But while LA Pride’s festival and parade are free, the Universal Studios party — and other Pride-related events — require tickets.
It does cost money to attend the Long Beach pride festival as well.
For details about the LA or Long Beach Pride parades, visit lapride.org or longbeachpride.com.