{"id":6822,"date":"2026-05-16T04:02:21","date_gmt":"2026-05-16T04:02:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=6822"},"modified":"2026-05-16T04:02:21","modified_gmt":"2026-05-16T04:02:21","slug":"long-beach-pride-festival-cancelled-amid-safety-permit-issue-parade-to-carry-on-as-usual","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=6822","title":{"rendered":"Long Beach Pride Festival cancelled amid safety permit issue; parade to carry on as usual"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<p>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<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=6820\">Deportation campaign led to overcrowding, strained resources at California ICE facilities, report says<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Long Beach Pride, the nonprofit that organizes the festival each year, said in a Friday statement 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, still will take place Sunday.<\/p>\n<p>The Pride Festival was slated to get underway Friday and run through Sunday.<\/p>\n<p>While Long Beach Pride\u2019s announcement didn\u2019t list a reason for the event\u2019s cancellation \u2014 though its president said in a different statement that the organization had asked the city for help earlier this year \u2014 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.<\/p>\n<p>\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<p>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<p>Long Beach alerted the event\u2019s organizers to its decision that the festival could not continue without the proper safety permits Thursday, the city said, and attempted to come to a solution, including the option of hosting a \u201cshortened event\u201d this weekend, it said Friday.<\/p>\n<p>\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<div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Long Beach Pride President Tonya Martin addressed the situation in a video posted online. After reading Pride\u2019s general statement regarding the festival\u2019s cancellation that had been posted to its website earlier in the day, Martin elaborated on the situation.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cJust remember, this is more of an emotional day for me because I\u2019ve been with the organization for many years. I\u2019ve seen it grow and I\u2019ve seen the challenges that we\u2019ve had throughout the years with the city, but we came together and worked with them,\u201d Martin said. \u201cThis time we asked for help again, early in the year, and it never was given. So to do this to us, is to do this to all of us.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Long Beach Pride has had its fair share of issues in recent years.<\/p>\n<p>Most notably, the city 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<div>\n<\/div>\n<p>That change was first announced in 2024 when Long Beach Pride leaders asked the City Council for help funding the parade,\u00a0citing financial challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and other issues.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=6818\">UnitedHealth tracks workers\u2019 AI use in push to transform company<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Long Beach is still organizing the parade this year, and it will continue as planned Sunday, with no changes, the city said Friday.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe city looks forward to joining residents, visitors and Long Beach Pride along the parade route,\u201d the city\u2019s statement said. \u201cMany restaurants, bars and LGBTQ+-affirming businesses in vibrant Downtown Long Beach and along Broadway will also be hosting celebrations throughout the weekend, and the city encourages the community to show their support by visiting them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Long Beach Pride said in its Friday statement that cancelling the festival \u201csends the wrong message\u201d to the city\u2019s LGBTQ+ community.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt tells LGBTQ+ residents, workers, students, small business owners, artists, families, visitors and allies that their safety, visibility and celebration are negotiable,\u201d the nonprofit said. \u201cIt undermines decades of volunteer work and community trust. And it weakens the very values Long Beach claims to champion.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Long Beach Pride said it is calling on city leaders to help find a solution and allow the festival to continue as planned this weekend.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe call on the City of Long Beach to immediately engage in good faith with Long Beach Pride, community leaders, public safety partners, and elected officials to identify a path forward that preserves the festival and protects the community,\u201d the nonprofit said. \u201cWe call on our Mayor Rex Richardson and the city council members to make the Pride Festival happen. We ask that our city leaders stand with the community at this critical moment and help ensure that Long Beach remains a beacon of equality, safety, and pride.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Some community members voiced their thoughts\u00a0 via social media on Friday.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhile I understand the financial challenges LB Pride has faced recently, I also believe the organization stopped looking after the community years ago,\u201d Natasha Hundreds, a local drag performer crowned Miss Long Beach Pride in 2024, said in a comment on social media. \u201cA change of leadership is well overdue. I hope next year we can celebrate the festival our community deserves.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Jessica Mercado, who was slated to perform at the festival today, also commented under Long Beach Pride\u2019s social media post announcing the event\u2019s cancellation.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI am a confirmed performer with the opening ceremony Saturday, and we have not received any personal message regarding the cancellation of the event \u2026 very unprofessional,\u201d Mercado said. \u201cNor had we received our contract.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It is unclear whether refunds for Long Beach Pride Festival tickets will be given. Ticket prices for the festival ranged from $40 for a one-day general admission ticket to $150 for one-day VIP admission, according to the event\u2019s website.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=6816\">Berkshire Hathaway triples Alphabet stake and invests in Delta and Macy\u2019s under new CEO<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Pride Parade, which is now hosted by the city of Long Beach, will take place as planned on Sunday, May 17.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6821,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19,2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6822","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-facts","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Long Beach Pride Festival cancelled amid safety permit issue; 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