Long Beach Pride Parade celebrates power of local LGBTQ community ...Middle East

Pride flags, rainbows, music and more were on display during the annual Long Beach Pride Parade, which welcomed thousands of people to the city’s downtown waterfront area on Sunday, May 18.

The parade began with the group “Dykes on Bikes” rolling down Ocean Boulevard on their motorcyles and Chappell Roan’s song “Hot to Go,” playing from the Port of Long Beach float  right behind them — which got people cheering and dancing.

As the Pride Parade does every year, Long Beach’s LGBTQ+ community and allies came out in droves – from friends, families, neighbors, to chosen families and proud dog owners – to celebrate.

Long Beach resident Melissa Casaey and her dog, Captain, found a shady spot along the parade route and waved at the numerous participants and decorated floats.

“I just like waving at everyone and seeing all the different outfits,” Casaey said, “and I feel like it’s the best day of the year for the community.”

This year’s theme for Long Beach Pride was “The Power of Community,” which invited participants from all walks of life to contribute to the colorful expressions of pride and resilience of the LGBTQ+ community, organizers said.

For more than four decades, the Long Beach Pride Parade has been one of the city’s most popular and enduring events. Its origins, like most Pride parades, began during a time when neither the city nor the nation at large offered the LGBTQ+ community any cultural, political, medical or legal acceptance.

Long Beach’s Pride Parade has grown over the years, becoming a commercially successful – and more family-friendly – celebration as the LGBTQ+ community has gained more acceptance.

The parade, however, has returned to reminding attendees of the political, civic and cultural importance of the celebration in recent years amid an onslaught of anti-LGBTQ rhetoric, violence and legislation nationwide.

“It’s very important,” said Angela Penneylane, 37, from Los Angeles. “Especially in the political climate that we’re in, it feels more important than ever to come celebrate.”

Penneylane’s friend, Vega Daniel of Long Beach, agreed with the sentiment.

“I was thinking about my first Pride. I went to one when gay marriage was legalized in 2015,” Daniel said. “This feels very reminiscent of it, the energy where we’re here all together and we’re proud.”

Long Beach has played a vital role in supporting the Pride Parade — and touts itself as one of the most LGBTQ-friendly cities in the state and the nation. This is the second consecutive year the city has taken over organizing the parade. In 2024, the Long Beach Pride nonprofit, which had hosted every previous iteration of the parade, asked the local government for help with the event because of financial and other challenges. The nonprofit has continued organizing the associated two-day Pride Festival.

This year’s parade once again attracted thousands of spectators. But it also seemed to have fewer people than usual. Attendees, for example, were able to easily walk along sidewalks that have typically been packed and congested in previous years. The majority of attendees were near Bixby Park, where the announcers – Jewels Long Beach and community activist Cory Allen – were presenting each parade entry.

Still, the event seemed to entertain the throngs of people.

“It’s been great seeing all this diversity and the love for the community,” said Long Beach resident Dashawn Hickman, who was attending the parade for the first time. “There are a lot of different organizations that show the community the support we have.”

Multiple city agencies and officials – including councilmembers, the health department and the Long Beach Airport, among others – marched in this year’s procession. Local organizations and businesses, such as Arts Council for Long Beach and ISM Brewing, were also represented.

The nonprofit Trans Latin@ stole the show with music and dancing, and the SoCal Pride Color Guard was the last to perform for the crowds.

There were also several vendors along the parade route with food, drinks, Pride flags, jewlery and more. Amy Mitchell, owner of WooWooHeart, handed out bracelets to attendees to promote her work and encourage people to buy from a local Long Beach vendor.

“We love Pride; it’s close to my heart,” Mitchell said. “I have been coming since the ’80s. We love the community, the energy. It’s what brings everyone together.”

Many members of the LGBTQ+ community said attending the Pride Parade is a tradition for their friend groups.

“We love coming out here,” said Long Beach resident Rachel Sabala, 37, whose kickball team was set up with a speaker and bubbles ready to have a great time at the parade. “The Dykes on Bikes is my favorite to see; it’s very symbolic. I love seeing the whole crowd get into it — it’s great — and seeing the other community-based people that you see every day too.”

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