Photo from Long Beach pride 2009, by KrisD Magua

6:00am | Thousands are once again expected to come to Long Beach this weekend in a celebration of the gay and lesbian lifestyle for Long Beach Pride 2010, a three-day event with live performances, all-day festivals and of course, the parade.

Visit LongBeachPride.com for festival information.
  
Kicking things off will be the annual Pink Party this Friday from 7:00-11:00pm on Pine Avenue between Broadway and 3rd Street, sponsored by the Downtown Long Beach Associates (DLBA). Tickets are available on site for $10 and partygoers will be treated to a lively outdoor street party hosted by famed drag performer Jewels Long Beach and rocked by DJ Abel on the ones and twos. Guests can also arrive early for the Pre-Pink Dinner Party from 5:00-7:00pm.

That leads into Saturday and Sunday, which will feature the festival on Shoreline Drive from 11:00am-10:00pm on both days. Performers include Flock of Seagulls, Amanda Perez, Allison Iraheta, Divine Brown and many more. 

The main event – the parade is expected to draw tens of thousands this year – gets started at 9:30am on Sunday morning with pre-parade music and games and the line will get moving around 10:30am. It will start at Ocean and Lindero Avenue and continue down Ocean to conclude at Alamitos Avenue. Parade Central is located at Bixby Park between Cherry and Junipero.

See you out there!