February 9, 2025 The Newspaper Serving LGBT Los Angeles

LA Pride Postponed due to Coronavirus

Organizers assessing situation

By James Mills

Amid coronavirus concerns, LA Pride officials announced Thursday, March 12 that it was postponing the annual LGBT pride festival to a date still to be determined. The three-day event, traditionally held the second weekend in June, was scheduled for June 12-14 this year.

Officials with Christopher Street West (CSW), the nonprofit organization which puts on LA Pride, announced the postponement via Twitter on March 12. That announcement read, “Due to the concerns of COVID-19, CSW will postpone all events related to the 50th Anniversary of LA Pride that were scheduled for June 2020. Organizers are assessing the situation. More information to be provided around the postponement as details become available.”

CSW board chair Estevan Montemayor told The Pride LA that CSW must confer with West Hollywood city officials before determining new dates. The LA Pride festival happens each year in West Hollywood Park, while the pride parade travels down a 1.5 mile stretch of Santa Monica Boulevard, so the cooperation of West Hollywood is required before LA Pride can continue.

While many other groups are cancelling or rescheduling events scheduled for March or April due to the coronavirus, this is the first event scheduled for June, three months away, to be postponed.

The postponement announcement came within an hour of the City of West Hollywood officially announcing it was suspending all non-essential city meetings and city-sponsored events through June 30 “in an effort to safeguard public health and slow the rate of transmission of novel coronavirus,” according to a press release.

That suspension includes any event which receives city funding. In addition to providing the space in West Hollywood Park for the pride festival, the City of West Hollywood is also covering $3 million in security costs for this year’s LA Pride festivities.

2020 marks the 50th anniversary of LA Pride and CSW officials plan an elaborate festival which extends beyond the usual festival grounds of West Hollywood Park and the adjoining San Vicente Boulevard. Several beer gardens and a family area are planned in parking lots in the vicinity of the festival grounds. Additionally, a special “Pride on the Boulevard” section covering several blocks of Santa Monica Boulevard will feature food trucks, vendor booths and nonprofit agency booths.

The Pride on the Boulevard section, first tried in 2019 to great success, is free and open to all; no ticket needed. However, a ticket will still be needed to enter the festival grounds where the music stages will be located.

No word yet on how rescheduling LA Pride may affect plans for the expanded festival.

Approximately 250,000 people attended the 2019 LA Pride festivities according to a study commissioned by CSW. That study showed those attendees spent approximately $18.8 million in West Hollywood and another $10.5 million in the city of Los Angeles.

While LA Pride may have been postponed to a future date, Long Beach Pride is currently still scheduled to take place on the third weekend in May, as always. This year’s Long Beach Pride dates are May 15-17.

Related Posts

Student Protest Over Immigration Policies Leads to Walkouts Across the Westside

February 7, 2025

February 7, 2025

Walkout Turns Tense as Counter-Protester Confronts Teen in Video From Venice Students from Santa Monica High School (SAMOHI), Culver City...

Open Arms Art Show Runs Through Mar. 22 in Burbank

February 6, 2025

February 6, 2025

Opening Exhibition Saturday Feb. 8 from 12 to 8p.m. More than an art show, the Open Arms Exhibition is an...

Quiet Luxury: What’s Inside the New Regent Boutique and Sweet July

February 6, 2025

February 6, 2025

The Regent Santa Monica Beach, known for its perfect Santa Monica getaways, or local dining at its Mediterranean-based restaurant Orla...

West Hollywood Deputies Arrest San Bernardino Homicide Suspect on Sierra Bonita

February 6, 2025

February 6, 2025

Man Wanted for Deadly Baseball Bat Attack Captured During Routine Patrol Deputies from the West Hollywood Sheriff’s Station apprehended a...

Serial Predator David Pearce Convicted of Murders, Rape in Shocking Fentanyl Overdose Case in West LA

February 6, 2025

February 6, 2025

“Dead Girls Don’t Talk,” Fake Producer Abandoned Women’s Bodies Like Garbage A jury convicted David Brian Pearce of two counts...

Best Spots to Celebrate Valentines, Galentines, or Have a Super Bowl Party on the Westside

February 5, 2025

February 5, 2025

Cocktails, Game Day Grub, Valentine’s Pasta, and a Lonely Heart’s Tea Service You will find many excellent ways to celebrate...

FDA Issues High-Risk Recall for Pre-Packaged Broccoli Florets Sold at Walmart

February 5, 2025

February 5, 2025

Recall Is Now Classified as Class I Due to Seriousness Of Contamination The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has classified...

Matū Kai Brings Its Signature Wagyu and Famous Cheesesteak to Brentwood

February 5, 2025

February 5, 2025

Team Behind Beverly Hills’ Acclaimed Matū Is Opening a Second Location One of Beverly Hills’s newest and most popular restaurants,...

West Hollywood’s Drag Story Hour Returns for 2025 Season This Week

February 4, 2025

February 4, 2025

Family-Friendly Storytelling Series Celebrates Diversity and Inclusion The City of West Hollywood will launch its 2025 season of Drag Story...

Free Narcan to Combat Opioid Overdoses Available at the West Hollywood Library

February 4, 2025

February 4, 2025

Naloxone and Fentanyl Test Strips Are Available With No Payment or ID  In response to a rise in fentanyl and...

Influencer Florence Mirsky Responds After Her Racist Rant Is Caught in Video Footage

February 4, 2025

February 4, 2025

Viral Footage Shows Mirsky Using Slurs and Berating Valet Workers in Beverly Hills Influencer and cannabis entrepreneur Florence Mirsky, who...

 State Farm Seeks Emergency Rate Hike, Citing Wildfire Losses—Consumer Advocates Push Back

February 4, 2025

February 4, 2025

Insurer Requests up to a 38% Rate Increase, but Critics Call It an Unjustified Cash Grab In a press release...

(Video) Los Angeles Marathon Returns For 40th Anniversary

February 4, 2025

February 4, 2025

Register at mccourtfoundation.org Register at https://t.co/JUuzwhVeun pic.twitter.com/3m3wiyoBm4 — Palisades News (@PalisadesNewsLA) February 4, 2025

CCPD Seek Public’s Help in Finding Missing Elderly Man with Dementia Last Seen in Culver City

February 3, 2025

February 3, 2025

Resident Last Seen on Washington Boulevard, Public Urged to Report Any Sightings Culver City’s Police Department is asking for the...

Los Angeles County Ramps Up Storm Protections in Fire Burn Areas As Two Storms Approach

February 3, 2025

February 3, 2025

Officials Install Flood Barriers and Urge Residents To Prepare As a storm system approaches California this week, Los Angeles County...