Hermosa Beach Pride

Hermosa Beach Pride is an annual pride parade and festival in Hermosa Beach, California. The event began in 2021, partially inspired by the burning of a rainbow-painted pride lifeguard tower in Long Beach, California.

History

In March 2021, a rainbow-painted pride lifeguard tower was burned down in Long Beach in a case of suspected arson. This incident inspired local teen Izzy Bacallao and family to have a local lifeguard tower painted in solidarity; on June 14, 2021, the 13th Street lifeguard tower in Hermosa Beach was painted rainbow.
The first Hermosa Beach Pride event was held on Saturday, June 26, 2021. It featured a small parade of dozens of people who walked from Bottle Inn to the newly-painted rainbow pride lifeguard tower for a ribbon cutting ceremony.
By 2022, a nonprofit was formed to handle organizing the parade and festival, with Randy Renner, Jessica Accamando, and Jose Bacallou as directors. When the event returned in June 2022, it was expanded to three days from June 24 to 26.
In 2023, Hermosa Beach Pride was held June 16-17. On June 17, a man threw a lit firework into the crowd in a suspected hate crime; multiple people suffered minor injuries. The suspect was identified as a juvenile, and the police determined that it was not a hate crime.
In 2024, Hermosa Beach Pride took place from Friday, June 14 to Sunday, June 16.
In 2025, Hermosa Beach Pride took place from Friday, June 13 to Sunday, June 15.