The Long Beach Pride Festival \u2014 a staple event that\u2019s celebrated the LGBTQ+ community for the past four decades \u2014 has been cancelled, according to the event\u2019s organizers and the city, with the latter citing an apparent permitting issue.<\/p>\n
Long Beach Pride, the nonprofit that organizes the festival each year, put out a statement on Friday evening, May 15, announcing that the festival had been cancelled and urging the city of Long Beach to \u201cengage in good faith\u201d to find a way to make the event happen this year. The Long Beach Pride Parade, which the city took over in 2024, will still take place on Sunday morning.<\/p>\n
The Pride Festival was slated to get underway this weekend, starting at 5 p.m. Friday, May 15, with Teen Pride and running through Sunday, May 17.<\/p>\n
While Long Beach Pride\u2019s announcement didn\u2019t list a reason for the event\u2019s cancellation, Long Beach responded shortly after with its own statement saying the nonprofit had failed to secure necessary security permits to allow the festival to continue. Long Beach Pride could not immediately be reached for comment Friday evening.<\/p>\n
\u201cDespite continued collaboration and multiple deadline notices, the city did not receive the required documentation needed to complete safety reviews, inspect critical event infrastructure, such as the stage, electrical systems and tent, and emergency exiting plans to ensure compliance with public safety standards,\u201d the city\u2019s statement said. \u201cWith event programming scheduled to begin today, May 15 at 5 p.m. with Teen Pride and essential information still outstanding, there is no longer sufficient time to safely permit the festival this year.\u201d<\/p>\n
Long Beach\u2019s Special Events team, the statement said, worked with Long Beach Pride over the past several months to try and resolve the issue to no avail.<\/p>\n
Long Beach alerted the event\u2019s organizers to its decision that the festival could not continue without the proper safety permits on Thursday, May 14, the city added, and attempted to come to a solution, including the option of hosting a \u201cshortened event\u201d this weekend, on Friday morning.<\/p>\n
\u201cDespite these expedited and additional efforts, the organization was unable to provide the necessary documentation for safety reviews and inspections,\u201d the city said. \u201cAs of 4:30 p.m. (Friday), complete information was not received. Out of responsibility to the safety of attendees, staff and the broader community, the city cannot issue the permit and has directed the event organizers to not continue their event.\u201d<\/p>\n
Long Beach Pride has had its fair share of issues in recent years.<\/p>\n
Most notably, the city of Long Beach has recently taken over organizing the parade from Long Beach Pride, which historically handled both the parade and festival since their founding in 1984.<\/p>\n