WEST HOLLYWOOD (CNS) - Several streets in West Hollywood and Hollywood are shut down this weekend because of the annual LA Pride Festival.
The two-day festival begins today and continues Sunday in West Hollywood, where street closures began at 7 p.m. Thursday, with San Vicente Boulevard shutting down between Melrose Avenue and Santa Monica Boulevard, remaining off-limits until 10 a.m. Monday.
Most of the other closures will go into effect at 5 a.m. Sunday to accommodate the annual Pride Parade, which is scheduled from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. along Santa Monica Boulevard between Fairfax Avenue and Doheny Drive.
This year will mark a return to the traditional Pride Parade format. The 2016 event became a vigil and tribute to the 49 people killed a few days earlier at the Pulse night club in Orlando Florida. In 2017, the event was recast as a resistance march and rally to call attention to and challenge policies under President Donald Trump that are seen has harmful to the LGBTQ community.
Streets one block north and south of Santa Monica Boulevard will be closed from Fairfax Avenue to Doheny Drive from 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.
The following streets are also expected to be closed between 5 a.m. and 5 p.m. Sunday.:
-- Crescent Heights Boulevard from Romaine Street to Fountain Avenue
-- Norton Avenue between Havenhurst Drive and Laurel Avenue
-- Holloway Drive between Santa Monica Boulevard and La Cienega Boulevard
Additional information on street closures, parking and a complete schedule of events is available at lapride.org.