Long Island PrideFest coming to Long Beach

City officials announced Thursday that Long Beach is set to host the LGBT Network’s 27th annual Long Island Pride celebration next year, an event that will include a 5K race on the boardwalk and parade over a weekend in June. The group will mark its last year in Huntington this weekend.

Next year's annual Pride Parade and Pridefest is set to take place from June 9-11, the first event of its kind to be held on the beach. For the first time, the event will also include a 5K run in order to raise money to prevent bullying in schools, and will feature live performances, beach volleyball, a softball and surfing contest, a beach festival, ice skating and other events.

Launched in 1991, the event has taken place in Huntington every year but is making the move to Long Beach next summer. The event will also change from a one-day celebration to a weekend-long gathering.

“The Long Island Pride weekend is a great opportunity for families across Long Island to celebrate the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community that has contributed so much to make Long Island such a great place to live,” City Council Vice President Anthony Eramo said in a statement. "For over a quarter century, Long Island Pride has been bringing people together from all over Nassau and Suffolk counties, and next year Long Beach is lucky to host what is sure to be a great event.”

The LGBT Network is an association of non-profit organizations working to serve the LGBT community of Long Island and Queens. There are four community centers across Long Island that reach approximately 3,000 people per year. Each organization works within the LGBT Network to promote equality and provide a safe space for the LGBT community.

LGBT Network Chief Executive Officer David Kilmnick said that the group is thrilled to partner with Long Beach. He added that in the last five years since the event was taken over by the LGBT Center, it has become “more accessible” and brought in as many as 15,000 people, compared to the average crowd of 3,000 in previous years.

“We look forward to celebrating pride, Long Island, [and] Long Beach.” Kilmnick said. “We want to take that and have that move throughout the year so that pride isn’t just a one day or three day celebration, but make sure people take this back to their jobs, unions, schools and make this a part of their lives.”

With a close proximity to John F. Kennedy Airport, the Long Island Railroad, and bus transportation, both the City of Long Beach and the LGBT Network will look to connect with transportation groups in order to promote the event to a variety of areas.

Long Beach was recently named one of the nation’s top 10 beaches by USA Today, and City Manager Jack Schnirman said that he believes the city is the perfect destination for the Long Island Pride event.

“This will show how wonderful a destination Long Beach is to live, work, play and how much we have to do here,” Schnirman said.

According to Kilmnick, the city and the LGBT Network would work with the city’s Council for the Arts and the business community to create more family-friendly events and offer specials at local shops, restaurants and bars. The group also said it would work with the Long Island Rail Road and nearby hotels to provide “special pride passes.”

“A lot has changed for the LGBT community in terms of our rights and what’s available to us,” Kilmnick said. “But also what has changed is the demographics of Long Island’s LGBT community. Many more families are moving to Long Island, many more same-sex couples are raising children and they’re looking for more opportunities to celebrate their lives and families. We feel there is no better place to bring the Long Island Pride than to The City of Long Beach.”

This year’s festival — presented by Bethpage Federal Credit Union and sponsored by TD Bank, Arizona Beverages, Long Island IVF, Artisan Photography and Media Group, Long Island Pulse, Newsday and Long Island’s K98.3 — will be held on June 11, at Huntington’s Heckscher Park and will feature a performance by headliners 10,000 Maniacs.

This year’s parade, however, was canceled due to logistical and security concerns, Newsday reported.