LA Pride, with its annual parade taking place the heart of Hollywood next month, is bucking a national trend by holding onto its corporate sponsors as brands like Mastercard, Budweiser, PepsiCo, and Citi divest from similar events in major U.S. cities.
The day-long festival, scheduled for June 8, lists Delta, Coca-Cola, Casamigos tequila, Mac cosmetics, Sony Pictures, AEG, L’Oreal, Honda, the National Football League, and at least a dozen more companies on its sponsor roster. Toyota didn’t renew a three-year deal that had expired, but was replaced by another brand, organizers said.
The event, which drew more than 130,000 attendees in 2024, has relatively the same number of backers—and the same total budget—as in previous years, according to Kareem Cervantes, vice-president of the board of directors of organizer Christopher Street West.
The news comes as Pride parades in cities such as New York, San Francisco, St. Louis, Washington D.C., and others have seen their partner lists shrink amid a public pull-back of corporate support for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer communities.
Leaders at Christopher Street West say LA Pride’s 55-year legacy may be one reason for the brand stability, along with the goal of building long-term relationships with partners via an assist from agency A&Co.
“We refer to ourselves as the elder Pride,” Cervantes told ADWEEK, noting that the event has had time to develop its infrastructure. “We have history on our side.”
Additional brand backers—Stoli vodka, Ugg, Nordstrom, and a host of local civic, health, and cultural organizations—will take part in the parade and its accompanying Pride Village street fair.
