Orange County’s adored LGBTQ Pride Festival and Parade is packing up and leaving homey Downtown Santa Ana for the buttoned-up OC Fairgrounds in Costa Mesa.
As a Santanero and someone who’s been attending the festival for several years, finding out about the move on Instagram felt like getting dumped over social media. Not only did it sting, it didn’t make much sense. Moving out of DTSA is only a taste of the board’s questionable decisions this year, opting for a corporate makeover instead of keeping the festival where it’s welcome.
For the past 14 years, Fourth Street has been the soul of this event. The cluster of eclectic stores, rainbow murals and straight-up Chicanismo perfectly capture the spirit of our queer community. Since being in DTSA the event has become notably bilingual, featuring both English and Spanish performances. Moving the venue to Costa Mesa could easily throw off the balance between both cultures…