LA Pride Event Leaving West Hollywood After Four Decades, City Will Seek New Producers

LA Pride, which annually draws huge crowds to West Hollywood in celebration of LGBTQ+ history and people, is leaving West Hollywood.

Christopher Street West, the nonprofit organization that produces LA Pride, sent a letter to the West Hollywood City Council on Tuesday announcing the move of the annual parade and festival as of 2021. There was no indication on a new location.

“The Board of Directors decided to take this approach for several reasons,” the letter says. “These include construction in West Hollywood Park, the changing demographics of Greater Los Angeles, our commitment to being responsive to the LGBTQIA+ community’s needs, and our allyship and collaboration with other movements for social change.”

LA Pride has been in West Hollywood since 1979, making it one of the nation’s oldest and largest LGBTQ+ events and a huge economic driver for the city’s businesses.

West Hollywood said that it would select a new production company for an event to be held next June. The city’s statement said it embraces “Pride each and every day, year-round.”

“With its high concentration of LGBTQ residents and businesses — more than 40% of residents in West Hollywood identify as LGBTQ and three of the five members of the West Hollywood City Council are openly gay — the City of West Hollywood remains the heart of the region’s LGBTQ community,” the city’s statement said.

The annual parade was canceled this year because of the pandemic. However, a march was held to support the black community’s efforts against police brutality in the wake of George Floyd’s death. Despite criticisms from various factions, the march on June 14 through Hollywood and West Hollywood took place on the date LA Pride would have been held.