This past weekend the city of West Hollywood celebrated its annual Pride weekend and hosted Outloud Music Festival. More than a regular EDM festival, the message it transmits is one of defiance and unhibitied joy. Thousands of attendees enjoyed a diverse lineup of artists, includind LGBTQAI+ idenfitying musicians and allies. Moreover, the city saw its pride parade bringing multiple floats from the community and had celebrity guests such as Cindy Lauper and Kehlani. The weekend remained busy with the street fair with tons of activities, all the local bars having their own parties, and multiple resources were available.
Happy Pride!
The weekend started strong with performances from Pop icons Ke$ha and Adam Lambert on friday. Saturday saw the likes of Purple Disco Machine, Doechii, Janelle Monae and Keke Palmer. Lastly, the gays continued the celebration with performances by Diplo, Bebe Rexha, Kylie Minogue and Kiesza. It is great to see Kiesza after a big hiatus caused by a traffic accident. She returned with a goal to connect with the EDM community in her newest project and we can’t wait to hear her stunning vocals on incredible upbeat jams.
The festival had a rather simplistic layout as it only had two stages. The main stage opened into the massive park that hosted artists like Ashnikko and Channel Tres. The smaller stage Summertramp easily became one of our favorite spots of the weekend. A whimsical stage with added turf and massive floaties gave the illusion of a fun pool party. With an incredible layout and fun atmosphere, the Summertramp stage was evidence that “the gays know how to party”.
More than just a music festival, Outloud strongly represents the LGBTQIA+ community and its important role in the foundation of Dance music. As this demographic continues under political turmoil and their existence is politicized, events like Outloud strengthen the sense of community and support we all need in the face of adversity.