It’s finally time for #Pride. We’ll see you there! pic.twitter.com/gkgmrJSHfP
— Long Beach Pride (@LongBeachPride) May 20, 2017
Thousands of people will take to the streets Sunday for the city’s 34th annual gay pride march and the conclusion of the two-day Long Beach Pride 2017 Festival.
The parade steps off at 10:30 a.m. at Ocean Boulevard and Lindero Street, with a parade “hot spot” kicking off an hour earlier at Bixby Park on Ocean and Cherry Ave. Activities there will include interactive crows games and high-energy music.
A more solemn event is scheduled for 9:45 a.m. at Bixby Park, where the 49 victims of last year’s Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, Florida, will be remembered with a presentation by Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia, City Councilwoman Jeannine Pearce and state Sen. Ricardo Lara.
Pulse shooting survivors Brian Reagan and Milan D’Marco will also be a part of the presentation, according to event organizers.
The parade’s celebrity grand marshal is businesswoman and TV personality Lisa Vanderpump, who will also address the festival crowd from the Main Stage at around 3:45 p.m.
Among the special guests in the parade will be Alex Greenwich, an Australian politician from Sydney who has worked for marriage equality in that country. Greenwich will appear as part of the Sister Pride Program between the Long Beach event and Sydney’s Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras.
Ocean Boulevard will be closed to traffic Sunday at the following times and locations:
— 5 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. between Redondo and Lindero;
— 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. between Lindero and Cherry;
— 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. between Cherry and Alamitos.
This year’s festival at Marina Green Park at 450 E. Shoreline Drive is headlined by Jody Watley, who is scheduled to perform on the Main Stage at 8:45 p.m.
Tickets to Sunday’s festival, which runs from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., are $20 pre-sale or $25 at the door. Children under 12 are free but must be accompanied by an adult and cannot be on festival grounds after 5:30 p.m. Senior citizens, veterans and active-duty military with valid ID may be admitted free of charge upon request.
More information can be found at www.longbeachpride.com.
–City News Service