On May 19th and 20th the city of Long Beach, California celebrated its 35th Annual Lesbian & Gay Pride Festival & Parade. Thousands sashayed into one of the California’s largest pride festivals for a family-friendly weekend with dancing, entertainment, food, resources, and a parade bursting with energy!
Some event highlights included performances by Love and Hip Hop Miami’s Amara La Negra, Empire’s Jussie Smollett, Mexican singer Ana Barbara, and the legendary Sheila E. This year’s parade Grand Marshall was actress Alexandra Billings from Amazon’s Transparent.
Long Beach held its inaugural Lesbian & Gay Pride Festival & Parade in June of 1984 because of the high population of LGBTQ+ residents that had been making Long Beach unique. A need for increased awareness and to promote pride was the catalyst for the creating this annual tradition.
Take a look at some highlights from the 2018 Long Beach Lesbian & Gay Pride Festival & Parade:
