LONG BEACH, Calif. (May 5, 2022) – Long Beach Pride™ is coming back next summer after a two-year break due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
The Long Beach Pride parade and festival will return this summer, after a two-year, pandemic-induced hiatus — and, organizers say, it will be bigger than ever.
Rapper Iggy Azalea and Spanish singer-songwriter Natalia Jiménez will headline this year’s festival, Long Beach Pride, which organizes the event, announced on Thursday, May 5.
The three-day LGBTQ celebration will run from July 8 to 10, a change from its traditional timing in May. Parade organizers have said the change is meant to allow Pride goers to enjoy warmer weather and longer days.
Long Beach Pride, which began in 1984, typically attracts more than 75,000 people during the weekend. But the event was canceled in 2020 and went virtual last year because of the coronavirus pandemic. The 2021 event featured clips of past parades, conversations with performers and a live-streamed question-and-answer session with organizers.
The city’s 37th festival and parade will kick off with a Teen Pride celebration on July 8, a Friday. The parade will be on July 10, a Sunday.
And the Pride party will last all weekend, with a two-day waterfront music festival on July 9 and 10.
Azalea, one of the festival’s two headliners, has been nominated for multiple Grammy Awards, including for Best Record in 2015 for “Fancy,” featuring English singer Charli XCX.
The other headliner, Jiménez, is a Spanish singer who has won both Grammy and Latin Grammy awards. During her career, she has performed with other major Latin music stars, including Marc Anthony and Ricky Martin.
The festival stages will also feature performances from Sonora Tropicana, Amor Prohibido Band (a Selena Quintanilla Pérez Tribute Band), and hip-hop singer and actress YoYo, among others.
The organizers have also added a circuit dance pavilion this year, according to the Pride’s Thursday announcement. It’ll feature sets from several DJs, including Nina Flowers and Tony Moran.
“This year’s Long Beach Pride will be our biggest, and will become the gold standard for Pride festivals across the globe,” Elsa Martinez, president of Long Beach Pride, said in a press release. “In order for us to tell our story in a way that honors the struggle, celebrates the community, and captivates new generations while showcasing our history, we will engage our audience in a variety of ways.”
Pride organizers have also added several other attractions to this year’s festival, all of which is meant to “entertain, educate, and inspire,” the release said.
The 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.
The festival will also have family and senior-specific zones.
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.
“The reason that we have a parade today is thanks to those who came before and fought with their lives,” the release said. “This pop-up museum shares the historical context to our growing movement and highlights the work still to be done.”
The area’s other major Pride parade and festival, in Los Angeles, will also return in-person this year after being virtual in 2021. The LA Pride Parade & Festival, celebrating is 52nd year, is set for June 11 and 12.
LA Pride organizers announced last month that pop icon Christina Aguilera will headline the June 11 music event at Los Angeles State Historic Park. The Los Angeles parade is set for June 12 in Hollywood.
Originaly posted on Press-Telegram
Additional details about the Long Beach Pride Parade & Festival™ will be made available in the coming weeks. Follow Long Beach Pride™ on Facebook, @longbeachpride; Twitter, @LongBeachPride; and on Instagram, @LBPride for the latest updates.
Sponsorship packages are also available by e-mailing corporatesponsor@longbeachpride.com
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ABOUT LONG BEACH PRIDE™
Long Beach Pride™, a 501(c)3 non-profit, is an all-volunteer organization that produces the annual three-day Long Beach Pride™ festival, parade and teen pride annually. The third largest Pride festival and parade in California, we celebrate the LGBTQ+ community with a focus on inclusion, and work to educate the wider community that diversity builds a stronger and healthier society. Taking pride in what we have achieved since 1984, we strive to teach the future generations that the battle for acceptance continues. For additional information please visit www.longbeachpride.com.
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CONTACTS
Elsa Martinez
emartinez@longbeachpride.com
(562) 833-7252
