The City of West Hollywood continues its six-week WeHo Pride Arts Festival through the end of June. The City’s Arts Festival began on Harvey Milk Day (May 22) and runs through the end Pride Month (June 30).
Highlights of upcoming events include:
- Queer Book Bazaar – Saturday, June 24, 2023 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at at Plummer Park’s Fiesta Hall, located at 7377 Santa Monica Boulevard. There will be readings with Boris Drayluk, Rick Castro, Sam Sweet, and Rasheed Newson (Bel-Air), as well as other performances and literary vendors.
- The Alliance of Los Angeles Playwrights Annual Pride Play Reading Festival – Saturday, June 24, 2023 at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. at Plummer Park’s Community Center Rooms 5 and 6, located at 7377 Santa Monica Boulevard. The Alliance of Los Angeles Playwrights presents its annual Pride Reading Festival at Plummer Park featuring plays selected by an independent panel of judges. Selected works will reflect the current challenges facing the LGBTQ+ community. short play readings will be presented at 11 a.m. and the selected full length play reading will be presented at 2 p.m. Non-alcoholic drinks and food will be provided. This presentation is supported in part by an arts grant from the City of West Hollywood.
- Banjee Ball presents Haus of Telfar’s “Who’s Bad Ball?” – Saturday, June 24, 2023 at 6 p.m. at Fiesta Hall at Plummer Park, located at 7377 Santa Monica Boulevard. Banjee Ball is a celebration of LGBTQ+ youth and talent. A fixture in LA’s ‘Kiki’ scene, Haus of Telfar joins Purple Crush, the music directors of HBO Max’s Legendary, to bring the “Who’s Bad Ball” to the City of West Hollywood. This is an opportunity to witness the incredible artistry and ferocity of Ball Culture. The event is free and open to the public.
- Britt Westveer’s We’ve Always Been Here Mural – ongoing through April 2024. This new mural on the side of West Hollywood City Hall, located at 8300 Santa Monica Boulevard, made its debut in mid-May. The exhibition is a collection of three large, printed posters that are wheat-pasted onto the east-facing exterior wall of City Hall featuring digital collages made from found imagery and the artist’s own archives depicting the long history of diverse LGBTQIA+ people who have “always been here.”
Additionally, the City of West Hollywood’s 2023 Summer Sounds Free Outdoor Concert Series will kick off on Sunday, June 25, 2023 at 4 p.m. with Free Myself: A Conversation and Concert with Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter Sophie B. Hawkins. Hawkins has achieved critical and commercial success, producing a string of hit singles including Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover, Right Beside You, and the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart record-breaking As I Lay Me Down. This concert is presented in partnership with the City of West Hollywood’s Lesbian Speakers Series and will feature a temporary public art installation by Yeu “Q” Nguyen, Weaving Hope. Seating is not provided; picnic blankets, low chairs, and picnic snacking are encouraged. RSVP is requested via Eventbrite at https://summersoundsweho-2023jun25.eventbrite.com.
More information about the WeHo Pride Arts Festival and a full calendar of events is available at www.wehopride.com/artsfestival.
The City of West Hollywood’s WeHo Pride Arts Festival is organized by the City’s Arts Division. The City of West Hollywood is committed to providing accessible arts programming for residents and visitors. The City of West Hollywood’s Arts Division delivers a broad array of arts programs including: Art on the Outside (temporary public art), Urban Art Program (permanent public art), Summer Sounds, Winter Sounds, the WeHo Reads literary series, Free Theatre in the Parks, Arts Grants for Nonprofit Arts Organizations, Library Exhibits and Programming, the City Poet Laureate Program, Drag Story Hour, Human Rights Speakers Series and the WeHo Pride Arts Festival. For additional information, please visit www.weho.org/arts.
For more information about the City of West Hollywood’s WeHo Pride Arts Festival, please contact Mike Che, City of West Hollywood Arts Coordinator, at (323) 848-6377 or at mche@weho.org. For people who are Deaf or hard of hearing, please call TTY (323) 848-6496.
For up-to-date information about City of West Hollywood news and events, follow @wehocity on social media, sign-up for news updates at www.weho.org/email, and visit the City’s calendar of meetings and events at www.weho.org/calendar. West Hollywood City Hall is open for walk-in services at public counters or by appointment by visiting www.weho.org/appointments. City Hall services are accessible by phone at (323) 848-6400 and via website at www.weho.org. Receive WeHo Pride text updates by texting “WeHo” to (323) 848-5000.
For reporters and members of the media seeking additional information about the City of West Hollywood, please contact the City of West Hollywood’s Public Information Officer, Sheri A. Lunn, at (323) 848-6391 or slunn@weho.org.
