Long Beach Pride Festival canceled over missing permit documents

Long Beach canceled its three-day Pride Festival on Friday after organizers failed to provide complete operational, construction and public safety documentation required for city permits, even as festival infrastructure was already substantially in place.

The last-minute cancellation capped 24 to 40 hours of failed negotiations and left vendors with thousands of dollars in prepared merchandise scrambling to pivot, while organizers condemned the decision as harmful during a period of heightened federal pressure on LGBTQ+ people.

The city said it had not received complete permit documentation from the Long Beach Pride team, including approved stamped structural plans for the stage and trusses, approved electrical plans, detailed security plans and sufficient site plan details, according to ABC7 Los Angeles. The city typically requires permit applications 65 days in advance, with a 14-day expedited review option available.

Long Beach Pride submitted additional festival site plans around 7 p.m. Friday, but the submission remained incomplete, the city said. Officials offered alternate venues — including the Long Beach Terrace Theater and plaza and the Bixby Park bandshell — which the Pride team declined. After 24 to 40 hours of negotiation, no resolution was reached.

Tonya Martin, Long Beach Pride president, said organizers had exhausted every avenue. "We truly believed we could find a path forward. For the past 24 to 40 hours, we worked in good faith, stayed at the table, and tried everything we could to reach a resolution with the City. Unfortunately, that did not happen," Martin said, according to ABC7 Los Angeles.

The Pride team issued a broader statement criticizing the timing. "This decision comes at a moment when LGBTQ+ people are facing escalating attacks from the current federal administration and from political forces across the country. At a time when our community is being targeted and made vulnerable, Long Beach should be doing more to protect and uplift us, not taking away one of the most visible and meaningful expressions of inclusion our city has," organizers said, according to ABC7 Los Angeles.

Sunday's Pride Parade will proceed as scheduled at 10 a.m. — the city funds and produces that event separately. Local bars and restaurants organized alternative Pride celebrations to fill the gap. Vendor David Keyes distributed roughly 500 pieces of merchandise at a bar venue after pivoting from the festival site. "Pride is not about a venue; it's a community. And everyone is stepping up to make the best of what we can for pride this year," Keyes said. Fellow vendor Chris Parker said the community's response reflected its character. "It's a testament to queer culture. We are resilient, and one thing about resilience in the queer world is you show up, and you show out. And we did just that," Parker said.

The Long Beach Pride Festival has marked more than 40 years of LGBTQ+ celebration in Southern California. With the festival grounds standing empty this weekend, Sunday's city-run parade offers the one remaining sanctioned public gathering for a community resolved to mark the occasion on its own terms.