The West Hollywood City Council greeted the OUTLOUD crowd during the kickoff to WeHo Pride on June 2. (photo by Jon Viscott)

West Hollywood hosted its second annual WeHo Pride June 2-4, attracting thousands to the city that is known for its LGBTQ+ community with events ranging from the OUTLOUD concert stage in West Hollywood Park to the WeHo Pride Parade.

“Last year’s first WeHo Pride was such a success and this year it got even better,” Mayor Pro Tempore John Erickson said. “Seeing community members, friends, family and everyone gathered in love was such a proud moment for me.”

“West Hollywood is an iconic gay city and its prides for many years have been a wonderful celebration, yet this powerful celebration had not yet been produced in a way that represents this gay milestone city,” West Hollywood resident Deesil Danny Silva said. “After living in this fabulous city for almost 10 years, I can genuinely and proudly say that the 2023 WeHo Pride has at last began to match the value, history and love within this amazing, beautiful, and gay city.”

LA Pride left West Hollywood as its base of activity during the pandemic, and the City Council sprang into action, crafting a unique event for the city. This year, Santa Monica Boulevard was closed between La Cienega and Doheny Drive, allowing for the free Pride street fair to happen right in the middle of the action, with booths, prizes and even a Ferris wheel drawing people from all over.

“I know the street closures and added noise and congestion can be a lot, but our community comes together every June, and it’s a joy to see,” Erickson said.

“Even if you decided to join pride last minute, there was more than enough joy, activities, entertainment, people, shopping, bars and vibes scattered everywhere along the street completely open to the public,” Silva said.

“[I loved] seeing all the families lining the streets during the parade or enjoying the community festival all weekend long,” Erickson said. “I was able to run out during the parade and give people hugs and rainbow flags and to see everyone smiling and enjoying themselves was such a joy.”

The Pride Parade brought many luminaries, include the official WeHo Pride Icon Melissa McCarthy, who wore a “say gay” thought bubble atop her well-coiffed hair. Other icons included Niecy-Nash Betts and wife Jessica Betts, as well transgender model, actor, singer-songwriter and activist Laith Ashley, and stars from the television series “RuPaul’s Drag Race.”

“There’s absolutely nothing like celebrating WeHo Pride,” Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, 3rd District, said. “I am forever grateful for the people of West Hollywood and to be part of a culture that uplifts our LGBTQ+ community in June and all year long. My team had endless amounts of fun at the WeHo Pride Parade, and we will continue our work to fight for our LGBTQ+ family throughout Los Angeles County.”

The city also hosted the Women’s Freedom Festival and Dyke March, and Meister named the chance to get “on the back of a bike for the Dykes on Bikes/Dyke March” as a highlight for her weekend.

“[I was] honored to have played with Shiah Luna on the Women’s Freedom Festival stage, organized by the L-Project, a stage with so many talented musicians and artists,” Pride participant Jen Cheng said. “It’s important that we had a freestage highlighting queer women and non-binary performers so that Pride is accessible and provides us with visibility for a wider audience.”

For Councilman John Heilman, seeing one of the music festival’s headliners was one of his favorite moments of the weekend.

“Seeing Grace Jones perform and enjoying her show with my friends was certainly a highlight,” Heilman said. “But my favorite part is running into old friends and meeting new people.”

Other performers at the festival included Orville Peck, Idina Menzel and Carly Rae Jepsen.

“WeHo Pride and the OUTLOUD festival continue to be one of my favorite events of the year,” West Hollywood resident Jason Aulicino said. “It really brings the community together for great food, great company and great music. Getting to see Carly Rae Jepson headline the final night was truly the cherry on top of a perfect weekend.”

In the end, Heilman said that WeHo Pride is about coming together as a community.

“When members of the LGBTQI+ community come together to celebrate Pride we are making a powerful political statement,” he said. “And we should always remember that our celebration is not just for us … it’s also a symbol of hope for people in other parts of the country and other parts of the world where it is too dangerous to be out and open.”

“Without a doubt, in the next few years as WeHo Pride continues to do the thing it’s doing, not only will West Hollywood have a Pride that truly represents this incredibly iconic city, it will also be known as a hot spot worldwide for any Pride lover,” Silva said.