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In response to a rising climate of hate and rhetoric, “Fearless and Free” serves as a call to action for a community that has often been forced into the shadows. This year’s theme honors centuries-long history of resilience, reminding the world that standing fearlessly in love is the ultimate path to freedom.
Join us in celebrating this community-driven event alongside friends, supporters, and allies. Mark your calendars for May 16th and 17th, and be part of this extraordinary celebration of love, inclusivity, and pride.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The cancellation of the 2026 Long Beach Pride Festival Fundraiser was incredibly difficult for our community and for everyone who worked tirelessly to make the event possible.
Long Beach Pride extends its sincere apologies to the community, vendors, performers, sponsors, volunteers, ticket holders, and partners. We also reiterate our dedication to transparency during this difficult moment.
We acknowledge the challenges that arose during the permitting process and are committed to being transparent about the events that led to the cancellation. Long Beach Pride remained engaged, continued submitting materials in good faith, and worked urgently to resolve issues through the final days.
We will continue to acknowledge the challenges, review what happened, and improve our internal systems. However, we do not agree with any narrative that suggests Pride walked away from the community or failed to fight for the festival.
Below is the chronological order of events that occurred during the permitting process.
Long Beach Pride notified the Long Beach Office of Special Events and Filming of the 2026 festival dates and requested guidance on the permitting process.
To manage expenses, Long Beach Pride moved forward without a production company and notified the Long Beach Office of Special Events and Filming that assistance would be required to complete the permit packet.
Long Beach Pride submitted its initial permit application to the Long Beach Office of Special Events and Filming.
March 4: The Long Beach Office of Special Events and Filming notified Long Beach Pride that a new permitting system had been implemented.
March 18: Long Beach Pride requested copies of the previously approved 2025 festival permitting documents to ensure compliance for 2026 but did not receive a response.
Long Beach Pride met with the Long Beach Office of Special Events and Filming, Fire Department, Police Department, Marine Advisory Commission, and Event Recycling to review the festival layout.
A list of required documents was provided, and Long Beach Pride submitted them.
The Long Beach Office of Special Events and Filming scheduled an onsite permit inspection for May 15, suggesting that adequate documentation had been received.
Long Beach Pride reduced the festival footprint and sent updated documents to the Long Beach Office of Special Events and Filming.
The Long Beach Office of Special Events and Filming raised new concerns regarding structural documentation.
Long Beach Pride immediately worked to correct and resubmit materials.
The City abruptly cancelled the May 15 inspection the night before it was scheduled.
A City official also encouraged Long Beach Pride to continue preparing.
Updated structural documents were submitted early in the afternoon and sent to the Long Beach Office of Special Events and Filming.
Less than an hour before the scheduled Teen Long Beach Pride load-in, the City of Long Beach issued a Cease and Desist Order, even though festival infrastructure was already in place.
A late-night meeting with City of Long Beach leadership resulted in an offer to relocate the event to the Terrace Theater. However, the venue was not feasible. It would have added more than $100,000 in costs and only allowed seated attendance, with no dance area.
The City also proposed Bixby Park as an alternative, but the Long Beach Pride Board did not have enough time to set up the venue or meet the performing artists’ contractual requirements.
Long Beach Pride is collaborating closely with ticketing partners, vendors, sponsors, performers, and community partners to resolve the financial and logistical impacts of this cancellation. More updates will be shared soon.
We will also request a formal debrief with the City of Long Beach to fully understand what occurred and help prevent similar issues in the future.
Our priority now is to begin early planning for next year so that our community never has to experience a disruption like this again.
We remain dedicated to our mission and look forward to serving the Long Beach community with renewed vigor and service.
Moving forward, Fearless and Free!
Actor, Author and Activist
