LAGUNA BEACH : Gay Festival Gets Final Clearance
Plans for the city’s first gay and lesbian festival cleared what should be their final hurdle this week when the Planning Commission granted a permit for Laguna Pride Weekend, an event expected to draw up to 6,000 people.
The celebration will be launched with a Friday night party at the Boom Boom Room--a local gay bar--on April 29, followed by a two-day festival on the Festival of Arts grounds and related events elsewhere in town.
A city staff report prepared for the commission meeting Wednesday night said the festival is expected to be very well-attended and that flyers heralding it have been seen in San Francisco and San Diego.
“There was no opposition to the festival and most of the people were supportive,” Commissioner Dan Wooldridge said Thursday. The commission’s vote to grant the temporary use permit was unanimous.
Both the City Council and the chamber of commerce endorsed the festival last month.
The celebration, which promoters hope will become an annual event, is being sponsored by Laguna Outreach, a gay and lesbian community group. Doug Reilly, co-chair of that group, said the festival will boost local business and generate sales tax for Laguna Beach.
Related events will include a beach party and a twilight block party at the south end of town.
For more information, call Reilly at (714) 494-4137.
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