with Ashanti Plus Amara La Negra & More
LA Pride expands the Festival grounds adding the first-ever free block party with programming and events that promote greater accessibility and inclusivity
LOS ANGELES, March 14, 2019 – Today, Christopher Street West (CSW), the 501(c)3 non-profit that produces the annual LA Pride Festival and Parade, is excited to announce a diverse group of LGBTQ+ and allied performers set to take the stage at the 2019 LA Pride Festival. GRAMMY® Award-winning global superstar Meghan Trainor and British electronic pop trio Years & Years will headline this year’s must-attend festival on June 8-9 and will be joined by GRAMMY® Award winner Ashanti, plus Amara La Negra, Dej Loaf, Greyson Chance, MNEK, Pabllo Vittar and Ah-Mer-Ah-Su with more to be announced. Regardless of genre, this year’s performers will come together on the Festival’s two main stages and embrace this year’s theme, #JUSTUNITE.
Years & Years lead singer Olly Alexander has simultaneously emerged as one of the most culturally-important new voices and a once-in-a-generation frontman. His brave, unwavering and inspiring open-mindedness has helped a generation start important discussions around mental health and LGBTQ+ issues. Years & Years push boundaries by challenging notions of identity and sexuality in a way that is new to pop music, and totally their own.
GRAMMY® Award-winning singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Meghan Trainor first made history in 2014 with her diamond-certified smash single “All About That Bass.” In 2018, through a love letter published in Billboard, Trainor said, “To the entire LGBTQ+ community, I love you with all of my heart, I appreciate you endlessly and I support you with all that I have and believe in. I am there for you as you have been for me.”
LA Pride’s 2019 #JUSTUNITE theme makes a simple, yet powerful statement: that the work the LGBTQ+ community does together is ultimately what will make it stronger and more resilient than ever before. The theme is not only a nod to the Pride movement’s storied history of pioneers and activists who paved the way for the rights LGBTQ+ people have today, but it also is a reminder that the fight for equality is still far from over. LA Pride has embraced this rich history as the fuel to inspire, motivate and drive the LGBTQ+ community to its next chapter.
“LA Pride stands humbly on the shoulders of those that have come before us who worked tirelessly for nearly 50 years to create a movement. Our new generation of leadership looks to honor that past and build on the many hard-fought LGBTQ+ civil rights victories. Our multi-generational community is, indeed, stronger together, and this year’s LA Pride celebration draws upon our diverse experiences to ensure that our collective voice is more powerful than ever,” said Estevan Montemayor, President of the CSW Board of Directors.
For the first time, the LA Pride Festival is expanding onto Santa Monica Boulevard with Pride on the Boulevard, a free block party that will allow guests to gather and watch local performers on both Saturday, June 8 and Sunday, June 9 from 12:00pm – 7:00pm. The block party will be located on Santa Monica Boulevard between San Vicente and Robertson Boulevards and is accessible to everyone as a great way unite and celebrate together.
To create even more free opportunities for the community to participate in LA Pride, a new Friday night program has been added to the festival on June 7 at West Hollywood Park. The free evening will feature:
- An Official Opening Ceremony including a diverse mix of community and spiritual leaders and advocates for the LGBTQ+ community
- A combination of entertainment, including a WeHo Vogue Ball & Drag Show, a night of dancing, music from local DJs and special surprise guests
To help create a more seamless event experience throughout the entire festival, LA Pride will be implementing:
- Ticketing and guest services relocated to Santa Monica Boulevard, between Palm and Hancock Avenues, to expedite entrance into the festival grounds and reduce wait times
- New and additional street closures to help improve flow
- Increased and improved security teams with specialized training for the LGBTQ+ community
- Improvements to ADA implementation and accessibility for all guests, with extra focus on safe access and space throughout the festival for those guests requiring additional assistance. All ADA compliance and improvements will be overseen by Accessible Festivals.
- Those looking to volunteer can donate four hours of their time to the celebration and will in turn be able to receive complimentary tickets to the festival.
Festival goers are encouraged to buy tickets in advance online at lapride.org. Ticket sales and proceeds from the LA Pride Festival support and fund the LA Pride Parade, LGBTQ+ community grant programs and scholarships and CSW’s ongoing programming at Casa del Sol. CSW provides free festival tickets to LGBTQ+ non-profits and service organizations to distribute to their members.
To be added to our email list and for more information about LA Pride, including ticketing information and event updates, please visit lapride.org. Follow all LA Pride’s happenings on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube.
Several of the elements listed above are pending approval by the West Hollywood City Council.
Christopher Street West engages with JJLA LLC in the event production and management of the LA PRIDE Festival & Parade. For more information on JJLA visit www.jj-la.com.
About Christopher Street West (CSW) & LA Pride
Christopher Street West (CSW), a 501©3 non-profit, organized the world’s first permitted parade advocating for gay rights on June 28, 1970, as a response to and in commemoration of the Stonewall Rebellion on Christopher Street in New York City the year prior. Since then, we have built a rich history as an active voice for the LGBTQ+ community across the Greater Los Angeles metropolitan area. Today, we continue to produce the globally-recognized LA Pride Parade and Festival every June in the City of West Hollywood. We also organize a number of events throughout the year with our non-profit, philanthropic, community, and corporate partners. Visit lapride.org for more information.
