After announcing the cancellation of this year’s Pride event, CSW said it would stage a march from Hollywood into West Hollywood to protest police violence against Black people. This year’s event would have been the 50th anniversary celebration of Pride, which began with a march in Hollywood in 1970. Last year it had to reorganize the festival, which takes place typically in West Hollywood Park, because much of the park was closed for redevelopment. Most of that increase ($2.4 million) was meant to cover the cost of public safety measures.ĬSW cancelled this year’s Pride events, which were scheduled for the weekend of June 12-14, because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Noting the growth in the city’s spending to underwrite the event and provide public safety services, RSG said the positive financial impacts of Pride “are less certain, particularly as the city’s contributions relative to both festival admissions and other fundraising efforts have increased significantly ….”Ī report from City Hall staffers in January recommended that the city increase its financial support for the June 2020 LA Pride to $3.05 million, up 46% from the $2.09 million in 2019. County, including 397 in West Hollywood and 191 in the City of Los Angeles.Īnother consulting firm, RSG, was hired by the city to evaluate the financial performance of CSW and the impact of the Pride events on West Hollywood. And Beacon said that the Pride event supported the annual equivalent of 830 jobs in L.A. It also increased labor income for workers in Los Angeles County by $33.1 million, including $14.7 million in West Hollywood and $7.4 million in the City of Los Angeles. Beacon said the event generated $896,100 in sales tax revenue for the City of West Hollywood. Economic output is the value of goods and services provided during the Pride event. Beacon Economics, a consultant hired by CSW, said the 2019 Pride event increased economic output in Los Angeles County by $74.7 million of which $27.7 million was concentrated in West Hollywood and $18.2 million in the City of Los Angeles. The move is likely to have an impact on the city’s economy as well as its promotion of West Hollywood as the gay center of Southern California. The community we serve and our organization have grown during our collaborations with West Hollywood, and we have been grateful to support the city and its business community by bringing hundreds of thousands of diverse visitors to the city and highlighting West Hollywood on the world stage.” West Hollywood has been a successful home for the parade and festival, providing millions with a unique and incredible experience centered in this city. “We are grateful to the City of West Hollywood for our many years of partnership and collaboration in presenting LA Pride.
“These include construction in West Hollywood Park, the changing demographics of Greater Los Angeles, our commitment to being responsive to the LGBTQIA+ community’s needs, and our allyship and collaboration with other movements for social change,” the letter states. In a letter today to members of the West Hollywood City Council, CSW’s board of directors said it decided to move the June 2021 event for several reasons. LA Pride in West Hollywood (City of West Hollywood photo by Jon Viscott)Ĭhristopher Street West, producer of the annual LA Pride parade and festival, is moving the event out of West Hollywood, which has been home to the Pride celebration since 1979.