Long Beach Pride Parade celebrates LGBTQ+ community

The 41st annual Long Beach Pride Parade Sunday drew thousands of people to Long Beach for a colorful free event celebrating diversity and unity within the LGBTQ community.

This year's theme, "The Rhythm of the Rainbow," invited participants from all walks of life to contribute to the lively expressions of pride and resilience, presenters said.

Announcers included Long Beach's renowned drag queen, Jewels.

The parade, coinciding with the Long Beach Pride Festival, was set for 10 a.m. to noon and ran down Ocean Boulevard between Lindero and Alamitos avenues in downtown. The Celebrity Grand Marshal was rapper Saucy Santana.

The separate Pride Festival Sunday offered hundreds of arts and crafts vendors, disc jockeys, dancing, drag shows and more.

The annual event is billed as one of the nation's largest celebrations of the LGBTQ community.

Reggaeton star Ivy Queen was set to headline Sunday and Valentina of "Ru Paul's Drag Race" TV series was also set to appear.

A series of events were held over the past week leading up to this weekend's activities, which officially began Friday evening with a Teen Pride celebration.

The Long Beach Pride festival ran from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday at Rainbow Lagoon, 386 E. Shoreline Drive.

General ticket admission was $40, or $125 for a VIP ticket that included luxury restrooms, an elevated bar experience, a lounge area with shade and a chill zone.

Attendees were encouraged to use public transportation. Public parking was available along Shoreline Drive and in garages near the Aquarium, Marina Green, and Shoreline Village.

More information about the 2024 Long Beach Pride Parade is available at longbeach.gov/prideparade or call (562) 987-9191.