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LOS ANGELES, CA- When I found out that Christopher Street West (“CSW”) was no longer holding its LA Pride festivities in West Hollywood, I scratched my head. Since at least 1984, CSW has organized and produced its LA Pride Festival & Parade in the heart of West Hollywood; a city that has always embraced LBGTQ+ culture, business and lifestyle.
While I am unfamiliar with the politics of it all, I’ve read articles that suggest that LA Pride decided to move its festivities from West Hollywood Park to Los Angeles State Historic Park, in Chinatown, because it is several times larger and also has easy access through public transportation. While CSW has suggested that they would like to partner with the city of West Hollywood in the future, West Hollywood decided not to sit out this year.
The Mayor of West Hollywood, Lauren Meister, stated to the Hollywood Reporter, that, “West Hollywood has been the home of the largest Pride celebrations in Southern California for nearly four decades, and we’re looking forward to continuing that tradition.”
And continue the tradition they did, by creating their own; celebrating as it has always done, and putting together its own festivities from June 3 through June 5th, with the proclamation that “Pride starts here”. Not only did the city of West Hollywood put together its own 3-day music festival, but they had local businesses and properties set up pop-up shops and carnival attractions all around the city’s festival hub. WeHo Pride also had its own parade with none other than Janelle Monáe as its grand marshal. The spirit of Pride also continues throughout this month with a specially curated LGBTQ Arts Festival.
Clearly, the main attraction of the weekend was the diverse musical line-up that was curated for the OUTLOUD Raising Voices Music Festival at WeHo Pride. Anticipation for the featured performance was evident as soon as gates opened, and loyal fans made sure they scored front and center spots at the railing as early as possible to be as close as possible to their favorite performers.
With over 40 acts gracing two stages throughout the weekend, there was plenty of music to choose from. From the hard-hitting hip-hop of Lil’ Kim, to the soulful sounds of Jessie J, to the DJ spinning dance and house music, to even the Latin Pop of Ana Barbara, there truly was a little bit of everything for everyone.
One of the sponsors of the festival was the social media platform Twitch, and all throughout the day, between acts interviews with the talent. Familiar faces handled interviews and in the OUTLOUD Twitch Lounge and the red carpet. Shar Jossell, Ryan Mitchell, Billy Francesca, and Arisce all took turns manning the mic, and the conversations ranged from thoughtful questioning about certain LGBTQ causes and organizations to silly and lighthearted, like when Billy got Kat Graham to stand on an apple crate so that she could be as tall as him. In between performances on the main stage and Twitch streamed interviews, Hannah Rad kept the music spinning all weekend long.
There was also an amazing amount of dancing. Billy Francesca pulled double duty being an MC/interviewer and also had his own exhibition with his “Dragged Out” showcase on the first day of OUTLOUD. The showcase was held on the “Unity Stage”, where “Dance, Drag & Disco” unite, and with talents like Aluna and LP Giobbi killing the decks, you knew that dancers would show up and show out.
But what was perhaps the first time I’ve ever seen it happen, two “houses” dropped in to support featured performers. The House of Belanciaga stunned the audience when they took the stage during Kat Graham’s performance and The House of Mark Jacobs slaying it with Lil’ Kim during her special announcement.
When you need to kick back and unwind, there was plenty of space and “park” accommodations to relax. However, if you decided to splurge a little and pick up a VIP ticket, you definitely got some major perks. From comfortable couches to free massages and facial rejuvenation treatments, VIPs literally got to have their own spa day when they wanted a break from the music.
And while you may not have bumped into any of the scheduled talents in the VIP section of the festival, you could have caught them as they got interviewed on the red carpet as you walked to the VIP section of the crowd. While I obviously noticed some of the musical talents on the red carpet, there were also, apparently, tons of LGBTQ+ social media personalities that were glamming it up on the red carpet.
As a whole, I thought OUTLOUD, like the LA Pride festivals in years past, was a very well-produced event. There were a couple of issues related to sound that led to the shortening of a couple of performances, but I think that everything from security, to vendors to the music, was quite exceptional.
I do, however, think that L.A. Pride doing their own thing definitely impacted the overall attendance of the WeHo Pride’s festival compared to other years I’ve attended events at this location. And that’s a shame. As an ally, it makes more sense to me to center Pride festivities in the locale that is the most welcoming to the LGBTQ+ community. WeHo, absolutely. Chinatown, even with the parade going through Hollywood… not so much. With two Pride events basically competing with each other, it does seem a bit ironic, and one can only hope that both the city of West Hollywood and CSW can figure out a way to work in tandem with each other.
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