Each year, the City of West Hollywood celebrates the artistic contributions of the LGBTQ community by kicking off WeHo Pride season with an annual Harvey Milk Day event and with its WeHo Pride Arts Festival.

The City of West Hollywood invites the community to celebrate Harvey Milk Day with a special celebration featuring the third annual José Sarria Drag Pageant on Thursday, May 22, 2025, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at West Hollywood Park’s South Lawn, located at the base of the West Hollywood Park Aquatic and Recreation Center Grand Staircase, located at 8750 El Tovar Place. Join us for an evening of pride, history, and fabulous performances as we celebrate the legacy of Harvey Milk. The event is proudly co-sponsored by the Imperial Court; Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey P. Horvath, Third District; and One Institute. This free event is open to everyone. Visit the WeHo Pride Harvey Milk Day webpage for more information: www.wehopride.com/harveymilkday. RSVPs are encouraged via Eventbrite.

The City’s annual Harvey Milk Day celebration and WeHo Pride festivities kickoff commemorates the legacy and contributions of Harvey Milk. Milk was a pioneering LGBTQ+ activist and politician who made history in 1977 as the first openly gay elected official in California when he won a seat on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. Tragically, in November 1978, Milk was assassinated by Supervisor Dan White after only 11 months in office. Milk’s legacy in the LGBTQ+ community is enormous. In 2009, President Barack Obama posthumously awarded Harvey Milk with a Presidential Medal of Freedom for his contribution to the LGBTQ+ rights movement. In recognition of his contributions, May 22 — his birthday — was officially designated as Harvey Milk Day in 2009 as commemorative day by the California state legislature, signed into law by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. In April 2015, the City of West Hollywood passed a Resolution to add Harvey Milk Day to its calendar of official holidays. West Hollywood is the first city in the nation to observe Harvey Milk Day as a holiday.

This year’s Harvey Milk Day celebration will feature the 3^rd annual José Sarria Drag Pageant, honoring the legacy of José Sarria, the first openly gay person to run for office in the United States, who helped pave the way for Harvey Milk’s successful run for office. Sarria was a well-known drag performer under the name the Window Norton, and founded the Imperial Court System which is one of the oldest and largest LGBT organizations in the world. This year's drag pageant is once again hosted by West Hollywood Drag Laureate Pickle. Judges include Queen Mother Karina Samala and Emperor Eugene Maysky of the Imperial Court, with additional judges to be announced soon.

In addition to the Drag Pageant, attendees can participate in voter registration, enjoy complimentary milk and cookies, and take advantage of a special Harvey Milk/José Sarria photo opportunity.

This event directly leads into the WeHo Pride Arts Festival, which is part of the City of West Hollywood’s WeHo Pride festivities. The City of West Hollywood will present its 2025 WeHo Pride Arts Festival from Friday, May 23, 2025 through Sunday, May 25, 2025, at the Los Angeles LGBT Center’s Village at Ed Gould Plaza, located at 1125 N. McCadden Place in Hollywood. This three-day festival will feature theatre, poetry, literary readings, dance, film, and participatory workshops. All events are free. An RSVP link and more information will be forthcoming. Sign up for an email notification once ticketing opens up for individual events at www.wehopride.com/artsfestival.

WeHo Pride Weekend will take place from Friday, May 30, 2025 through Sunday, June 1, 2025 in and around West Hollywood Park and Santa Monica Boulevard in the City’s Rainbow District featuring the OUTLOUD Music Festival, free Street Fair, Dyke March, Women’s Freedom Festival, and annual WeHo Pride Parade. For more information, please visit www.wehopride.com.  

For information about Harvey Milk Day or the WeHo Pride Arts Festival, please contact Mike Che, the City of West Hollywood’s Arts Coordinator, at mche@weho.org. For more information about WeHo Pride, please visit www.wehopride.com. For people who are Deaf or hard of hearing dial 711 or 1-800-735-2929 (TTY) or 1-800-735-2922 (voice) for California Relay Service (CRS) assistance.

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 “Pride” 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.