WeHo Pride Weekend will kick into high gear Saturday, with thousands of people expected to flock to the small city for what is billed one of the largest LGBTQ+ celebrations of its type in the world.
Festivities officially began with “Friday Night at OUTLOUD,” a raucous concert at West Hollywood Park headlined by Kesha and featuring acts including Adam Lambert, Monét X Change, Laganja Estranja & Morphine Love Dion, Niña Dioz, Jessica Betts, Owenn, and Venessa Michaels.
The main WeHo Pride Weekend events will begin at noon Saturday with the opening of the WeHo Pride Street Fair, which features community group booths, exhibitors, live music and entertainment. The fair will be open through 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday along Santa Monica Boulevard between Hancock Avenue and La Peer Drive.
Saturday’s events will include the Women’s Freedom Festival through 6 p.m. on the Celebration Stage at Santa Monica and La Peer, featuring “emerging LGBTQ and BIPOC woman, non-binary musicians, comedians, poets and activists.” Artists set to appear include Bonnie McKee, Bludnymph and The Aces.
Performances are also scheduled throughout both days on the Celebration Stage and the Rainbow Stage at Santa Monica and San Vicente boulevards.
The main stage at West Hollywood Park will feature music throughout the weekend in a ticketed event known as “OUTLOUD at WeHo Pride.” Janelle Monáe will be the Saturday night headliner. Other performers Saturday will include Noah Cyrus, Keke Palmer, Channel Tres and Doechii. Kylie Minogue will headline Sunday, with other performers including Diplo and Friends, Ashnikko, Trixie Mattel, Big Freedia, Vincint, Destiny Rogers, Jimi the Kween and Zee Machine.
The annual motorcycle-led Dyke March will be held at 6 p.m Saturday along Santa Monica Boulevard, beginning at the Celebration Stage at the conclusion of the Women’s Freedom Festival.
The highlight of the weekend will be at 12:30 p.m. Sunday, when the WeHo Pride Parade steps off from Santa Monica Boulevard and runs between Crescent Heights Boulevard and San Vicente. The parade features floats, bands, drill teams, dance teams and entertainment.
This year’s parade will also feature “Lifetime Ally Icon” Cyndi Lauper, chosen for her “groundbreaking contributions to music, activism and LGBTQ advocacy.”
“Cyndi Lauper embodies the spirit of inclusivity, unity, and vibrancy that has defined West Hollywood throughout its history,” West Hollywood Mayor John M. Erickson said in a statement. “Her unwavering dedication to advocacy throughout the years, coupled with her unparalleled musical legacy, makes her a perfect fit for this moment in time as Lifetime Ally Icon as we celebrate WeHo Pride 2024.”
Organizers pointed to Lauper’s co-founding of True Colors United, a nonprofit that fights homelessness among LGBTQ youth. Following the overturning of abortion protections under Roe v. Wade, Lauper created the “Girls Just Want to Have Fundamental Rights Fund” to support women’s rights and health. Organizers also pointed to her hit songs including “True Colors” and “Girls Just Want to Have Fund” to show that her career “resonates as a poignant soundtrack of the LGBTQ equality movement and beyond.”
The events will result in multiple street closures, so non-participating motorists are urged to avoid the area altogether.
San Vicente Boulevard was closed Thursday night between Melrose Avenue and Santa Monica Boulevard, and it will remain shuttered until 10 a.m. Monday.
Other street closures in effect are:
— Santa Monica Boulevard from La Cienega Boulevard to Doheny Drive through 7 a.m. Monday.
— Robertson Boulevard from Santa Monica Boulevard to Melrose Avenue through 7 a.m. Monday.
— San Vicente Boulevard from Santa Monica Boulevard to Cynthia Street through 7 a.m. Monday.
— Santa Monica Boulevard will close from Fairfax Avenue to Doheny Drive, along with all side streets one block north and south of Santa Monica Boulevard) at 5 a.m. Sunday through 5 p.m. Sunday, to accommodate the WeHo Pride Parade.
West Hollywood Park, where the festival’s main stage will be located, will remain closed through Wednesday. Parking structures and other lots at the park will remain closed until 10 a.m. Monday.
The city will offer free “Pride Ride” shuttles through Sunday to accommodate festival-goers. Select shuttles will run between the festival and the Metro B (Red) Line Station at Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue through the weekend.
More details on the shuttles and other modes of transit are available online at www.wehopride.com/gettinghere.
Permit parking restrictions in the city will be lifted throughout the weekend, however, parking meters will continue to be enforced. West Hollywood officials urged people planning to park on streets to be aware of city boundaries, since neighboring cities of Los Angeles and Beverly Hills will continue to enforce permit parking rules.
Limited public parking will be available at the Pacific Design Center, 8687 Melrose Ave.; Kings Road Parking Structure, 8383 Santa Monica Blvd.; and Hancock Parking Structure, 901 Hancock Ave.