LONG BEACH – Ready for Long Beach Pride weekend?
More than 60,000 revelers are expected to join in the two days of festivities for the 35th Annual Long Beach Gay and Lesbian Festival and Parade on Saturday and Sunday.
Q Voice News also has compiled the most comprehensive Guide to Long Beach Pride. It’s everything you need to know about the festival, parade, road closures, the bars, and more.
Also, our friend Jewels, Long Beach’s drag queen royalty, gave us her Long Beach Pride survival guide. We posted this helpful information last year, and it’s worth repeating.
- Wear plenty of sunscreen. Protect your skin. “Nobody wants to look like your mom’s old leather purse,” Jewels said.
- Wear comfortable shoes. “For pride weekend, you will be spending hours on your feet, dancing for your life and waiting in line,” Jewels said. “Appropriate shoes are a must.”
- Don’t drive to the festival or parade. Parking in Long Beach is always a challenge, but this weekend will be insane. Take transit, walk or ride your bike. “Nothing is less fashionable than driving around for hours looking for parking,” she said. The Blue Line Stations will be open. Their closures were rescheduled.
- Cash money, honey. ATMs are few and far between, and they always have a line — if they are working.
- Hydrate. Hydrate. Hydrate. Drink plenty of fluids, not just cocktails. A good rule of thumb is a bottle of water for each drink. “Drink lots of water. You don’t want to fall over.”
- Have an extra battery for your cell phone or have it fully charged. If you’re not using your cell phone, keep it in airplane mode to conserve the battery. “That way you kind find that cute trick later, after the main shenanigans,” she said.
