16/05/2026
hey you owe the community the truth Over the past several months, the City of Long Beach’s Special Events team has worked closely with Long Beach Pride, the private organizers of the annual Pride Festival, to support their efforts to safely produce this year’s event, which was scheduled to take place on May 15, 16 and 17. While the City now manages and funds the Long Beach Pride Parade, the Pride Festival remains an independently organized, ticketed event that requires the submission of detailed operational, construction and public safety plans in order to be permitted to ensure safety of the attendees.
Despite 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. With 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.
The City shared this determination with Long Beach Pride on Thursday, May 14, and continued to work with the organization this morning, May 15, on the possibility of a shortened event this weekend. Despite these expedited and additional efforts, the organization was unable to provide the necessary documentation for safety reviews and inspections. As of 4:30 p.m. today, 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.