The city will take over the Long Beach Pride Parade for 2024 after Long Beach Pride, the nonprofit that traditionally produces the parade, said it couldn’t pay for it. Long Beach Pride will still be in charge of the festival, which will take place May 18 and 19 along Shoreline Drive in downtown. Photo: Q Voice News.
The city will take over the Long Beach Pride Parade for 2024 after Long Beach Pride, the nonprofit that traditionally produces the parade, said it couldn’t pay for it.
Long Beach Pride will still be in charge of the festival, which will take place May 18 and 19 along Shoreline Drive in downtown.
The Long Beach Pride Parade is scheduled for May 19 along Ocean Boulevard.
The city of Long Beach will serve as the official host and funder of the 41st parade after a mid-year budget review by the City Council approved $80,000 in one-time funds earlier this month to pay for it, according to a city statement released Monday.
The statement stresses that this one-time action ensures that the Long Beach Pride Parade will continue in 2024 while Long Beach Pride restructures the organization.
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Second District Councilwoman and Vice Mayor Cindy Allen also allocated $50,000 of her discretionary funds to the parade, bringing total public funds to $130,000.
The council still needs to approve the $50,000 from Allen, but it’s a formality procedure. It’s expected to go before the council in a few weeks.
“We are truly grateful that the city is stepping up to support this parade so that it continues to be the beacon of light that it has always been for our community,” Tonya Martin, president of Long Beach Pride, said in the statement.
Martin went to the council in January and asked for financial help from the city.
Businesses and community organizations interested in marching in the parade can submit an entry application through May 1.
The entry fee to participate in the parade is waived this year.
This year will mark a return of Long Beach Pride to the weekend before Memorial Day weekend, as it had been held since it started in 1984, excluding 2020 and 2021 when Long Beach Pride was canceled due to COVID-19.
Long Beach Pride was rescheduled in 2022 and 2023, but after community complaints, it was announced last year that it would return to May.
