Culture PickPride 2023 is here, and while LA Pride and Christopher Street West left West Hollywood last year (after the pandemic forced cancellations and majorly downsized events in 2020 and 2021), West Hollywood has by no means laid low. How could they?

The City of West Hollywood remains the epicenter for gay nightlife and small businesses, and it’s still the most active and high profile neighborhood we have in terms of LGBTQ+ issues and political freedoms in general– from drag to cannabis. Dubbed the “Rainbow District,” Santa Monica Boulevard will always be loud and proud. Since joining forces with OUTLOUD and JJLA events last year, WeHo Pride is louder than ever.

For Pride 2023 they offer another stellar show with the legendary Grace Jones, plus Carly Rae Jepson, Orville Peck and many more. Beyond live music there’s plenty more happening, too. Here’s our picks for what to know and where to go this weekend. (See more info at wehopride.com and weareoutloud.com).

Friday, June 2

Warm up for the weekend at WeHo Pride presents Friday Night @ OUTLOUD, its free concert featuring Wicked/Frozen star Idina Menzel, plus U.K. pop sensation Jessie Ware, Drag Race/ Dancing with the Stars fave Shangela, local R&B diva Tinashe and more. Doors at 6 p.m. Must RSVP here.

Saturday, June 3

The Women’s Freedom Festival is obviously more necessary than ever. Spotlighting LGBTQ+ and BIPOC women, the gathering will feature a plethora of entertainment including cis women allies, trans women and non-binary musicians, poets, comics and speakers at the Community Stage on Santa Monica Blvd. from 12 p.m. –  6 p.m.

Right after the The Freedom Fest, get revved up for Dyke March, the rollicking rally of motorcycles and marchers along Santa Monica Blvd. Beginning at the Community Stage, the march is always an audacious display of activism and amusement.

PRIDE 2023

(Courtesy Summertramp)

Sat.-Sun., June 3-June 4

The OUTLOUD Concert is the banner event of WeHo Pride, and this ticketed show in West Hollywood Park offers big names and wild vibes all weekend. Sat.: Grace Jones, Orville Peck. Santigold, Young Bae, Cub Sport and more. Sun.: Princess Nokia, Passion Pit, Carley Rae Jepson and more.  Tickets here.

Summertramp, a party LA Weekly has loved since it started in a parking lot Downtown, brings its splashy bash back to WeHo Pride for the first time years.  In the past they’ve presented roller disco, pools and inflatable waterpark environments and this year they offer “40,000 Sq Ft of brilliant green Astro Turf wrapped around two legendary days of decadence and delight,” according to their promo materials. Prepare for hot lewks and raging sounds. Sat: Ultra Nate and Tokes Badd perform along with DJs Jodie Harsh, Aaron Colbert, Babyweight Music, Daisy O’dell and more. Sun.: Gia woods and Tomatos perform along with DJs Its Biianco, Casey Alva, Derek Monteiro, Josh Peace and more. See more here.

The music, fashion and frolic of WeHo Pride makes it a truly killer party, but the activist elements are equally significant– as they should be. The WeHo Pride Street Fair, which is free and open to the public,  offers lots of opportunities to learn and connect with the community. Running along Santa Monica Blvd. (between Hancock and La Peer) this is where you’ll find exhibitor booths, vendors and sponsor activations, from 12 p.m. – 10 p.m. all weekend long.

Sunday, June 4

As always, the WeHo Pride Parade brings the weekend to a spectacular conclusion with floats, celebs, marching, dancing and a rainbow-drenched family-friendly vibe. This year’s “WeHo Pride Parade Icons” include Melissa McCarthy, Niecy Nash-Betts and wife Jessica Betts, Laith Ashley, and stars from RuPaul’s Drag Race. The parade will take place  along Santa Monica Blvd.  from Crescent Heights to San Vicente Blvd. and is open to the public.

All month long:

It kicked off over a week ago, on Harvey Milk Day, but the WeHo Pride LGBTQ Arts Festival continues through June 30, with a bunch of cool exhibits. This weekend we recommend checking out the following: “Angelic Troublemakers” (digital drawings and photographs relating to the theme of LGBTQIA+ Pride) at West Hollywood Library;  “My Own Private Rodeo,” in collaboration with ONE Archives Foundation and HIT presenting new works by Coyote Park posing the question, “What does it mean to exist in a way that our elders weren’t allowed to?” at ONE Gallery; and Rainbows, Wigs, and Shades, Dustin Gimbel‘s ceramic totem installation celebrating diversity at Sunset Plaza, 8624 W Sunset Blvd. More info on these and more at wehopride.com/artsfestival.

Look for our full PRIDE MONTH GUIDE (including LA PRIDE’s events next weekend) in print and online next week.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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