Outloud Music Festival returns to streets of WeHo for weekend-long festival

After a more than two year hiatus, OUTLOUD: Raising Voices Music Festival is set to return to the streets of West Hollywood over the weekend. 

The three-day event begins Friday morning and runs through Sunday evening, as attendees can expect to see dozens of hit artists as they celebrate Pride Month. 

An extremely popular destination during June for the LGBTQ community, West Hollywood has housed the event's two other years of operation in 2018 and 2019 before the coronavirus pandemic put a halt to operations for two years. In 2020, various performers and speakers gathered online for a digital concert.

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This year's lineup features artists like Shea Diamond, Cassidy King, Madison Beer, Jake Wesley Rogers and Taylor Bennett before headliners hit the stage.

Friday's headliners are Marina and Lil' Kim, before Jessie J performs Saturday evening and Years & Years and Muna headline Sunday's finale. 

"It's a great way for us to come together as a community to celebrate and to empower our LGBT community here in West Hollywood and throughout the region," said Lindsay Horvath, a West Hollywood City Council member.

She spoke with CBS reporters before gates opened Friday morning, where she spoke about how nice it was for the event to make its return and for communities being able to reunite after more than two years of restrictions and mandates.

"We need that. Especially right now in this moment," she said, making note of the looming Supreme Court overturn of Roe v. Wade and how event goers, workers and officials planned to wear orange in support of gun safety and gun violence awareness. "There's a lot to be in community about and make sure that we're visible while we're also celebrating pride that we have celebrated here in West Hollywood 365 days a year."

"That's really what it's about - being inclusive, creating visibility," she continued. "Making sure that our community is a safe space for everyone this weekend is very important."

As they stress safety, there are concerns about the rising COVID-19 numbers throughout Los Angeles County, which prompted Los Angeles County Director of Public Health Barbara Ferrer to issue a warning that the indoor mask mandate may return if the county reaches the "high" community level on the CDC's scale. 

"In large crowds, masks are encouraged, we want to make sure that people are staying safe," Horvath added. "Wash your hands, do all the things we know we need to do."

The event, held at West Hollywood Park, will also feature various eateries and bars, as well as the WeHo Pride Street Fair and the "Unity Stage," where attendees will be encouraged to dance. 

Free Mom Hugs, the nonprofit devoted to making LGBTQ community members who might be estranged from their families know that someone accepts them by literally giving hugs, will be in attendance as well. 

"Just making sure that people take precaution and that we have people who are vaccinated and know the risk in terms of being masked," said Valencia Foster with Free Mom Hugs, who noted that the group knows the risks, but still wants their message to get out.

On Sunday, the WeHo Pride Parade, led by Jojo Siwa and Janelle Monáe, will begin at noon as concertgoers and the public alike are invited to march. 

With thousands of attendees expected to flood the area, the City of West Hollywood announced a series of traffic changes for the weekend including street closures. 

Streets closed include:

• N. San Vicente Boulevard between Santa Monica Boulevard and Melrose Avenue from 7 p.m. on Thursday, June 2, 2022 through Monday, June 6, 2022 at 10 a.m.;
  
• N. Robertson Boulevard between Santa Monica Boulevard and Melrose Avenue from 7 p.m. on Thursday, June 2, 2022 through Monday, June 6, 2022 at 10 a.m.;
  
• Santa Monica Boulevard in both directions will be closed from Fairfax Avenue to N. Doheny Drive from 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, June 5, 2022;
  
• Streets one block north and south of Santa Monica Boulevard will be closed from N. Fairfax Avenue to N. Doheny Drive from 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, June 5, 2022
  

Additional information on parking structures in the surrounding area can be found here.