Long Beach Pride Festival
LONG BEACH PRIDE
Pride festivals can be more than a parade. For their big in-person return, Long Beach Pride asked us to reimagine their Pride celebration and create something radically different. Our job was to up the ante through activations and storytelling that celebrated, educated, and motivated audiences of all stripes, coming together to capture this year’s theme: Many Voices, One Spirit.
Winner: Silver, Anthem Awards for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion: Community Event
Winner: Silver, Eventex Awards for Best Positive Change Event
SNAPSHOT
172,000 square feet
3 custom domes
2 Grammy-winning artists
1000s of postcards sent to representatives
0 Pride Festivals like it
“Long Beach Pride celebrates the LGBTQ community with a focus on inclusion, and we work to educate the wider community that diversity builds a stronger and healthier society.”
— Elsa Martinez (President, Long Beach Pride), Press-Telegram [10/07/22]
Part of her story
Pride is filled with deep, complex emotions, and acknowledging all of them was important: spreading joy and acknowledging pain; celebrating progress and organising action. We especially wanted to elevate trans women of colour - the protestors whose acts of resistance gave rise to what we know as Pride today - bringing their stories to the forefront alongside the concerts and parties.
“The activation was all about creating a platform to give community voices a place to document the struggle. It was their story to tell, and that was an important element to remember. We were creating a stage for them to tell their story.”
— Sheila Milani (Creative Director, Cogs & Marvel), Alamy.com [12/07/22]
Spaces to be fiercely You
We created a collection of spaces where each story and sentiment could stand tall. The Transcendence Dome paid homage to the trans women of colour who first fought for trans rights, and helped visitors write their representatives to continue the cause.
The Drag Makeup Station gave touch ups and total makeovers, with photo ops and a runway exit. The Voices Wall allowed visitors to share their messages of pride, power, hope, and encouragement. Live concerts featured Grammy award-winning artists Iggy Azalea and Natalia Jiménez. And at night, the Silent Disco Dome let dancers move to their own beat, together.
Working with the Long Beach Pride team, we sold over 25,000 tickets, increasing revenue by 63%, and raised social media engagement by 1,380%.
PRESS
Cogs & Marvel sets a new standard for Pride festivals with Long Beach Pride [Alamy.com, 12/07/22]
Long Beach Pride Parade is Back as an In-Person Event [NBC Los Angeles, 08/07/22]
Thousands cheer as Long Beach celebrates its 39th Pride Parade [Press-Telegram, 10/07/22]
IMPACT
A more modern rainbow
The Long Beach Pride brand got a makeover too, with a new spin on the classic rainbow palette. From the 40ft entrance archway to wayfinding to social ads, the new modern look was everywhere.
Making a big impression
After two years without a physical presence, Long Beach Pride smashed every single metric it set. We sold over 25,000 tickets (63% more than 2019), and hosted 104 exhibitors – nearly all of whom exceeded their goals. On socials, Instagram reach increased by 500% with profile visits up a whopping 3000%, and on Facebook reach was up 1200% with an 820% increase in page views.
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