LA Pride Guide 2018: Everything to know about road closures, festival, parade

LA Pride 2018

This weekend is the 48th Annual LA Pride celebration, which includes a two-day festival and parade.. In this 2015 photo, people prepare to enter the festival. Photo credit: Joshua Barash

WEST HOLLYWOOD — Ready to have a gay old time?

This weekend is the 48th annual LA Pride. It’s time to say it loud and say it proud.

Here’s what you need to know about the festival and parade. This year’s theme is JustBe.

We also have information below regarding after hours and circuit parties.

Want to learn how organizers of the first LA Pride Parade overcame hostility and discrimination from Los Angeles police? Here’s a queer history lesson with Jewels.

Before we get to the festivities, a couple of events are happening.

Friday

The LA Dodgers will host an LGBTQ night.

The Dyke March will take place in West Hollywood.

FESTIVAL

The LA Pride Festival will take place noon to 1 a.m. on Saturday and noon to 11 p.m. on Sunday at West Hollywood Park and the Pacific Design Center on San Vicente Boulevard between Melrose Avenue and Santa Monica Boulevard.

General admission advance tickets, available online or at the gate, are $30 each day or $40 for a weekend pass. Tickets for active military personnel and veterans, seniors, and people with disabilities are $15 and available only at the boxoffice.

LA Pride 2018: Kehlani, Tove Lo to headline festival

PARADE

The 1.5 mile parade will step off at 11 a.m. at Crescent Heights Boulevard and march west along Santa Monica Boulevard to La Peer Drive. About 150,000 spectators are expected to watch the parade. Transgender businesswoman Michaela Mendelsohn is the grand marshal.

CIRCUIT PARTIES

Looking for circuit parties, pool parties, and after hours with rump-shaking house music? We’ve compiled a list of them.

FESTIVAL RULES

The following items are not allowed inside the festival:

  • Roller-skates or rollerblades, skateboards, and hoverboards
  • Bikes or scooters
  • Outside beverage or food
  • Carts, tents, and chairs of any kind
  • Coolers
  • Glass containers
  • Sharpies, markers, paint pens
  • Selfie sticks
  • Beach balls and inflatables
  • Weapons of any kind, including toy guns or water guns
  • Pets, except service dogs
  • Alcohol
  • Illegal or illicit substances of any kind
  • Professional photography equipment
  • Video equipment
  • Instruments
  • Unauthorized or unlicensed vendors
  • Unauthorized solicitations, handbills, sampling or giveaways

STREET, FACILITY CLOSURES

MONDAY

  • West Hollywood Park, including the dog parks, will be closed from 6 a.m. today to 6 p.m. June 13
  • West Hollywood Pool will be closed from 5 a.m. today to 6 a.m. June 18

THURSDAY

  • West Hollywood Library will be closed from 7 p.m. Thursday to 11 a.m. on Monday
  • San Vicente Boulevard will be closed between Santa Monica Boulevard and Melrose Avenue from 7 p.m. Thursday to 10 a.m. Monday

FRIDAY

  • Holloway Drive will be closed between Santa Monica Boulevard and Hacienda Place from 5 to 10 p.m. Friday
  • Santa Monica Boulevard will be closed between Robertson and La Cienega boulevards from 7:30 to 9 p.m. Friday

SUNDAY

  • Santa Monica Boulevard will be closed from Fairfax Avenue to Doheny Drive from 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday
  • Streets one block north and south of Santa Monica Boulevard will be closed from Fairfax Avenue to Doheny Drive from 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday
  • Crescent Heights Boulevard will be closed from Romaine Street to Fountain Avenue from 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday
  • Norton Avenue will be closed between Havenhurst Drive and Laurel Avenue from 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday
  • Holloway Drive will be closed between Santa Monica and La Cienega boulevards from 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday

PARKING

The City of West Hollywood will not enforce permit parking for LA Pride weekend from 4 p.m. Friday to noon Monday. But, all metered parking will be enforced.

Public Parking will be available at the following locations for $20 on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday:

Friday, Saturday, Sunday Parking Locations:

Sunday Parking Locations:

PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) has several bus lines that connect to the City of West Hollywood, including: 4/704, 10, 30/330, 105/705, 212/312, 217, and 218. For more information,  www.metro.net. Metro will post service advisories regarding route changes for Pride weekend at www.metro.net/service/advisories.

About the author

Phillip Zonkel

Award-winning journalist Phillip Zonkel spent 17 years at Long Beach's Press-Telegram, where he was the first reporter in the paper's history to have a beat covering the city's vibrant LGBTQ. He also created and ran the popular and innovative LGBTQ news blog, Out in the 562.

He won two awards and received a nomination for his reporting on the local LGBTQ community, including a two-part investigation that exposed anti-gay bullying of local high school students and the school districts' failure to implement state mandated protections for LGBTQ students.

Share This

Share this post with your friends!