Wednesday, July, 15, 2020
Christopher Street West (CSW), producer of the annual LA Pride parade and festival, announced on Tuesday (July 14) that the organization will move the event out of West Hollywood, which has been home to the Pride celebration for the past 40 years.
The event generates millions of dollars for the City of Weho along with a substantial amount of employment. The 2-day festivities pack Santa Monica Blvd. with thousands of visitors, not to mention all the money surrounding vendors and restaurants rake in each year. PRIDE has been a legacy event in Hollywood since 1970, where the first demonstration took place on Hollywood Boulevard by founders, Morris Kight and Troy Perry.
In a letter to members of the West Hollywood City Council, CSW’s board of directors said it moved the June 2021 event for several reasons.
“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,” is cited as a reason for the move to a new location.
The independent consulting firm Beacon Economics was hired by CSW to create an economic impact report for 2019’s LA Pride Parade and Festival. The report states that LA Pride generated $74.7 million in economic output. The event also increased labor income for workers by $33.1 million in West Hollywood and the City of Los Angeles.
This year’s Pride event (originally scheduled for June 12-14) was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, however, it would have been the 50th anniversary for the celebration.
Recently City of West Hollywood City Council members John D’Amico and John Duran recently added an agenda item for the next Council meeting for a request for proposal from event producers and organizers to the 2021 Pride event.
Council member John Duran said: “West Hollywood will continue to have its own Pride weekend, as we have for the past 49 years. Santa Monica Boulevard and this historic Boystown district will remain the heart and center of Pride month, as we always have.“
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