Ivy Queen will headline Long Beach Pride next month.
The Puerto Rican rapper and songwriter, often referred to as the “Queen of Reggaeton,” began her career in the 1990s as a member of the then all-male collective The Noise in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
For approximately 30 years, Ivy Queen, born Martha Ivelisse Pesante Rodríguez, has shattered glass ceiling after glass ceiling and cemented her place as a pioneer in the male-dominated genre.
Since going solo in 1997 with the release of her debut studio album, “En Mi Imperio” (“In My Empire”), Ivy Queen, 52, has released nine more studio albums, her last was in 2015.
Last year, she received the icon award at the Billboard Latin Music Awards for her trailblazing contributions.
Ivy Queen will headline the two-day Long Beach Pride Festival May 19. Tickets start at $40. Saucy Santana is scheduled to headline May 18.
The festival, in its 41st year, will take place along Shoreline Drive at Rainbow Lagoon and Marina Green parks in downtown.
The Long Beach Pride Parade is scheduled for May 19 along Ocean Boulevard. It will step off at 10:30 a.m. at the intersection of Ocean Boulevard and Lindero Avenue and march west to Alamitos Avenue.
The city of Long Beach will take over the Long Beach Pride Parade this year after Long Beach Pride, the nonprofit that traditionally produces the parade, said it couldn’t pay for it.
The city will serve as the official host and funder of the 41st parade. In a statement released earlier this year, the city said the one-time action ensures that the Long Beach Pride Parade will continue in 2024 while Long Beach Pride restructures the organization and make it sustainable.
The city has said it will spend $130,000 of public funds to pay for the parade.
