The City of West Hollywood commissioned JJLA to produce their second annual WEHO Pride celebration in 2023. The festivities featured a three-day long LGBTQIA+ music festival, a two-day long street fair, and a mile long Parade on June 4th which brought Santa Monica Blvd to life.
WEHO Pride weekend kicked off with a free Friday Night Concert with performances by Idina Menzel, Tinashe, Shangela, and Jessie Ware. The sold out show was held in West Hollywood Park and was a fiery start to a weekend of celebratory queer fun!
On Saturday the free street festival opened up to the public, taking place along half a mile of the shut down Santa Monica Blvd. The Street Fair featured dozens of booths, activations, and activities including a Ferris Wheel and two Community Stages with free music programming.
On Sunday, the annual WEHO Pride parade took place along Santa Monica Blvd and included a myriad of Icons who were honored by the City of West Hollywood including Melissa McCarthy, Niecy Nash & Jessica Betts, RuPaul’s Drag Race, and Laith Ashley. The parade spanned over a mile and lasted two hours and was broadcast on KTLA. The parade welcomed many iconic floats, including an official Barbie Movie float, produced by JJLA.
JJLA also produced the Sports Hub experience which provided a viewing area of the parade in a sports themed environment.
Those who wanted to purchase a ticket to the OUTLOUD Music Festival were stunned with performances by artists like Grace Jones, Carlie Rae Jepsen, Orville Peck, and Passion Pit. In addition to the main stage in the park, OUTLOUD welcomed the renowned SummerTramp party to activate a second stage within the footprint. This festival truly offered something for everyone.
In 2023 JJLA also returned with the all inclusive WEHO Pride Pass. This Pass connected the festival celebration with local West Hollywood businesses by providing ticket holders with front-of-the-line privileges at popular LGBTQIA+ bars surrounding the festival footprint. As festival-goers flocked to West Hollywood from all over Southern California, the City felt direct economic benefit.
Attendance for the event exceeded expectations with tens of thousands people engaging with the street fair daily and over 100,000 people present at the Parade celebration.
The festival received ample praise from press outlets such as USA Today and the Los Angeles Times. The Parade received full and exclusive coverage by KTLA all day on Sunday.
In response to the success of the event, the City of West Hollywood agreed to commission JJLA as the producer of WeHo Pride for two additional years.
