“It’s something to look forward to, but it’s definitely not the same as in-person.” “All of us want to be out, we want to be proud and we want to show our colors,” she said. “We want to tell our community that we are here and that we want to show our pride,” said Elsa Martinez, the organization’s president.Ī virtual event, Martinez acknowledged, can’t quite compare to the experience of celebrating in the street with tens of thousands of people-but it’s something. Long Beach Pride, the organization behind the parade and festival, is currently in the process of putting together a virtual event that will feature videos from previous pride celebrations, testimonials from attendees and performances from local entertainers.
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While the city recently eased restrictions on outdoor and indoor gatherings, it’s still unclear when large events like the 80,000-strong Pride celebration will be able to resume.īut unlike last year, however, there will be some programming for those eager to celebrate. There will be no Long Beach Pride festival and parade this year, marking the second year in a row that the third-largest Pride celebration in the country has been canceled as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
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Long Beach Pride Parade on Sunday May 19, 2019.