Countywide : Gay Festival Will Return to Laguna After Quiet First Run

A Laguna Beach gay and lesbian festival that sparked controversy last year but went off without a hitch will be repeated this spring.

The second annual Laguna Pride Weekend will be May 6 and 7 at the Festival of Arts grounds on Laguna Canyon Road.

Last year, hundreds of people attended the weekend festivities, which organizers say raised more than $5,000 for nonprofit gay support groups and for AIDS-related causes.

“We were really happy with last year’s results and were just looking forward to a bigger and better festival this year,” said Douglas C. Reilly, president of the Laguna Beach Community Business Assn., the group promoting the weekend event.

“The primary purpose for this festival and for the association is to generate dollars from the gay and lesbian community,” he said.

In addition to the booths and entertainment at the festival grounds, Reilly said the weekend’s activities will include a volleyball tournament on the beach at West Street.

When the festival proposal was announced last year, the idea irked some residents who objected to the possibility that it would be disruptive or would turn Laguna Beach into a mecca for gays. The event itself, however, was decidedly low-key.

Other Orange County gay pride activities include the Orange County Cultural Pride event each year at UC Irvine.