The day before the annual Long Beach Pride Festival was set to kick off, the city announced that the event had instead been canceled — pointing blame at the organizer for failing to provide required safety information in time.
“Out of responsibility to the safety of attendees, staff and the broader community, the city cannot issue the permit and has directed the event organizers to not continue their event,” the city said in a news release Friday.
The city’s annual Pride Parade will still take place as planned starting at 10 a.m. Sunday.
Tonya Martin — president of Long Beach Pride, the nonprofit organization that organizes the festival — said she was deeply disappointed by the city’s decision to cancel the event.
“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,” she said in a statement Friday evening.
The event was supposed to run through the weekend with live music, art and food at Marina Green Park. The nonprofit’s statement did not reference the permitting process, but highlighted the importance of keeping the event running for the LGBTQ+ community.
The city, for its part, said that it made repeated efforts to work with the organization and issue an event permit, but said it ultimately did not receive essential information.
“Despite continued collaboration and multiple deadline notices, the city did not receive the required documentation needed to complete safety reviews, inspect critical event infrastructure, such as the stage, electrical systems and tent, and emergency exiting plans to ensure compliance with public safety standards,” the city said.
The city said it notified the organization Thursday that it was unable to issue a permit and continued to work with event staff Friday in hopes of permitting a shortened festival over the weekend. The city promised to refund businesses that obtained special licenses and health permits to participate in the event, and referred questions about ticket refunds and vendor participation fees to Long Beach Pride.
Martin said that canceling the event sends the wrong message and called on Mayor Rex Richardson and City Council members to take urgent action and let the festival go on.
“Inclusion is not proven when it is easy,” Martin said. “It is proven when leaders choose to stand with vulnerable communities when they need support the most.”
