WEST HOLLYWOOD (CNS) - Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to descend on West Hollywood this weekend for the 48th annual LA Pride Festival.
This year's theme is #JUSTBE, which organizers describe as an invitation for participants to ``embrace, embody and express what Pride truly means to them in the rawest, most authentic ways possible.''
Singer-songwriter Kehlani will be today's headliner. Swedish singer- songwriter Tove Lo will headline on Sunday.
Transgender activist and entrepreneur Michaela Ivri Mendelshon will be the grand marshal for Sunday's 2018 LA Pride Parade, which is scheduled from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. along Santa Monica Boulevard between Fairfax Avenue and Doheny Drive.
The Festival is expected to draw as many as 150,000 people and is billed as one of the nation's largest celebrations of the LGBTQ community. A series of events have already been held during the past week leading up to Festival, which officially began Friday night with the annual Dyke March along Santa Monica Boulevard.
``Pride is a time to commemorate the many brave individuals who came before us, who fought day and night for the rights and freedoms of the LGBTQ community.'' organizers said this week. ``But Pride is also a time when we can let our hair down among like-minded souls, celebrating and embracing the unmatched diversity of our strong, supportive, caring and quite colorful community.''
Activities at West Hollywood Park start today and continue Sunday. This includes non-stop live music, drag performances, art exhibits, games and giveaways, refreshments, a Trans Galleria and an alcohol and substance-free zone dubbed Sizzle. The hours are noon to 1 a.m. today and noon to 11 p.m. Sunday.
Ticket information and a complete list of activities is available at lapride.org.
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