OC Pride: Celebrate in Santa Ana

Performers, family activities, and community doings abound around downtown.

A FINE TIME SINCE '89: What do you do, if you're a very large, quite well-known pride festival, the year after your big quarter-century anniversary? Why you keep on keepin' on, doing what you're doing, in all of the wonderful, community-building, entertainment-rich, family-sweet ways that you do. This is just what Orange County Pride LGBT Festival is doing over the final week of July and into early August as the last of the major California pride gatherings rolls out for the summer of '15. It's Pride Week around Santa Ana, a joyful, music-packed party that hits its everyone-join-in zenith on Saturday, Aug. 1 and Sunday, Aug. 2. There shall be concerts, there shall be food, there shall be several happenings happening throughout both days around the walkable downtown district. So, pride revelers, it is up to you what you want to see and do. Why not begin with...

THE MAIN STAGE... where Frenchie Davis of "American Idol" and David Hernandez -- also of "American Idol" -- will appear, along with headliners like Thea Austin and Half Past Two. (Don't try and claim that you don't have the sublimely catchy "Rhythm Is a Dancer" in your head right now, which Ms. Austin famously crooned on back in the '90s.) The Dance Lounges shall thrum throughout the weekend, with DJs spinning tons of get-moving, jump-up tracks. And Pride Speaks has a number of lectures on the roster covering community topics. Want cinema? Screenings include "The Wizard of Oz" and "Pink Flamingos." Looking for kid-cute to-dos to keep the tots busy? Treasure hunts and a cupcake walk wait.

GET YOUR GUIDE: With all multi-day, multi-happening pride festivals it is best to do a bit of pre-planning, and the OC Pride Guide has your info. Venue-specific gatherings, drag brunches, beach bashes, times, dates, places, and such can be found right here, festival goers.

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