OUTLOUD Kicks Off Pride Month With Lizzo Comeback, Joyful Protest

For decades, West Hollywood has been home to one of the largest annual Pride celebrations in the world, drawing hundreds of thousands of people each June. Known as WeHo Pride since 2022 and anchored by the ticketed OUTLOUD Music Festival, the event runs through Sunday, June 1 – the official start of Pride Month.

“People this year feel the importance and connection to the history of Pride – that moment when Pride was really a protest and a demonstration of the world we wanted to see,” said West Hollywood Mayor Chelsea Lee Byers. “People are seeing – and feeling – a need to step into that resilience and that collective protest spirit and our streets will be alive with it this weekend.”

Held in and around West Hollywood Park and Santa Monica Boulevard, the weekend includes the free city-sponsored WeHo Pride Presents Friday Night at OUTLOUD Music Festival with Maren Morris, as well as the paid-ticketed OUTLOUD Music Festival on Saturday and Sunday with headliners Lizzo, Remi Wolf, Honey Dijon, Paris Hilton and Kim Petras. Abundant free programming includes a mile-long street fair, the Women’s Freedom Festival, the Dyke March and the WeHo Pride Parade. It’s LIzzo’s first festival appearance since 2023.

Produced by JJLA for the city, WeHo Pride represents the diversity of the LGBTQ community providing an important platform for visibility, expression and celebration. 

“When we think about the role of music and art and culture as the centerpiece of an event like Pride, people think of it as a protest,” said Byers. “But we are really encouraging people to enjoy themselves and have fun and to celebrate. Joy is so essential to protest. We really need to feel that sense of joy and community all around us, and we’re so excited that we’ll have thousands of people around us this weekend in West Hollywood.”

Originally called “Gay Pride” in the 1970s, Pride became an annual celebration in Hollywood during the decade before moving to West Hollywood in 1979, five years before the City of West Hollywood was incorporated as a municipality in 1984. At the time, it was the first city with a majority LGBTQ City Council and has since been an outspoken advocate for the LGBTQ+ community and issues of fairness and inclusion. 

“West Hollywood was founded 40 years ago, but a community that included LGBTQ activists that were working to build a city that was responsive to their needs,” said Byers. “And Pride has been an extension of that struggle, and now a celebration of what it means to have a city and a community that is really supportive and here for each other.”  

Created by event producer and JJLA founder/CEO Jeff Consoletti, OUTLOUD Music Festival was designed to give LGBTQ+ artists more opportunities to connect with audiences, gain music industry exposure and create safe spaces for the LGBTQ community to come together.

“It’s really what motivated me to create OUTLOUD,” said Consoletti, who also produces OUTLOUD Music Festival in Boston. “We saw that there was a way for a queer musician and a queer company to reach queer fans and create a space that was safe for them.”

With ongoing challenges to the rights of LGBTQ+ people, the timing of WeHo Pride and OUTLOUD Music Festival matters. 

“Right now, there’s a lot of uncertainty when it comes to spaces where you feel like you can be safe,” explained Consoletti. “And what I’m really proud of is that OUTLOUD does create that. We show that a community can show up and support one another – solidarity with one another – and show that we’re not being erased and we’re not being silenced.”

This year’s OUTLOUD Music Festival features a lineup of queer and ally entertainers and artists hosted by likeminded personalities including Ryan Mitchell, Hannah Rad, Arisce Wanzer and Billy Francesca.

OUTLOUD has featured hundreds of emerging and established LGBTQ+ and allied artists over the years including Kylie Minogue, Grace Jones, Doechii, Kesha, Janelle Monáe, Carly Rae Jepsen, Adam Lambert, Orville Peck, Years & Years, Jessie J, Lil’ Kim, MUNA, Diplo and Hayley Kiyoko.

“So much of our artist [booking] strategy is about timing,” explained Consoletti. “What it’s also about though is we kick off Pride Month with our dates and we are really identifying champion artists that either identify as LGBTQ or have been longtime supporters. That’s always been our goal.”

Attendees also represent the full Pride spectrum and their allies. 

“I met people just last night who were saying this is their first Pride, and they’re here because they wanted to show up for their community and for themselves differently than they have before,” said Byers. “People understand and see how important gatherings and events like Pride celebrations are to the spirit of the community.”

Most events are free and open to the public. Attendance for OUTLOUD Music Festival on Saturday and Sunday is capped at 22,000 each day. Tickets start at $204 for a general admission weekend pass, $376 for VIP weekend and $763 for a Super VIP weekend passes. Single day access costs $130.

“Tickets are a little slower than usual this year,” said Consoletti. “Consumer habits seem to be a little behind where we’ve been. And maybe that’s a mixture of a lot of factors – political factors, economic factors. What’s been very helpful about the show over the years is it connects with Pride and it connects with an LGBTQ fan – that and being anchored in Pride Month always gives us a really strong week-of-show showing.”

As many corporations roll back DEI initiatives across the U.S., brand sponsorships for WeHo Pride increased 40% over 2024 with new partners including McDonalds and Absolute Vodka and returning supporters like Red Bull.   

“It’s not about sticking logos on walls or screens,” offered Consoletti. “In many instances, it’s seeing these companies rallying around their employees and just giving them a space to gather and show up together, whether it’s in terms of a parade entry or some sort of cool street fair activation or advocacy.”

Going into the weekend, Consoletti is already booking 2026 and 2027 and optimistic about the future. 

“I hope I’m creating something that is more than just a moment in time, but has a lasting presence,” he said. “It feels like an evolution of what the Pride event is. We are still committing to gathering and representation and advocacy but also weaving in entertainment and music and fun.”