OC Pride parade, fest blaze brightly at county fairgrounds

On a typical event day at the Orange County fairgrounds, what’s happening inside the gates is much more vibrant and celebratory than the scene outside.

But that paradigm shifted Saturday as OC Pride’s Blaze It Forward Parade made its way along the perimeter of the Costa Mesa complex and up to the entrance to kick off a daylong Colors of Strength Pride Festival taking place inside.

Hosted by the Santa Ana nonprofit, the resplendent cavalcade featured LGBTQ+ residents and community members promoting messages of love, acceptance and empowerment in honor of Blaze Bernstein, a 19-year-old Lake Forest man killed in 2018 by a classmate in what’s been prosecuted as a hate crime.

A Freddy Mercury impersonator sings Queen classics during the OC Pride Parade at the O.C. fairgrounds in Costa Mesa Saturday.

(James Carbone)

Bernstein’s parents, Jeanne Pepper and Gideon Bernstein, served as grand marshals presiding over nearly 70 entries, ranging from the LGBT Center of Orange County and UC Irvine to the Orange County Gay Men’s Chorus and Planned Parenthood.

Manny Muro, vice president of OC Pride, said the parade and its theme were a tribute to Bernstein’s legacy and his parents’ effort to transform their grief into something greater.

“They really took that tragedy and made it into a movement, and we were so honored to have them with us,” he said Tuesday. “It was really a display of unity and pride.”

Planned Parenthood takes part in the OC Pride Parade at the O.C. fairgrounds Saturday.

(James Carbone)

While the parade and festival had recently been held as part of an open-air event in Santa Ana, organizers were looking for a venue that would provide more safety and security for attendees. The OC Fair & Event Center had just the right size and infrastructure.

This year’s celebration featured Mexican trans influencer Wendy Guevara in her debut pride tour of the United States along with Vanessa Vanjie Mateo and Jessica Wild from “RuPaul’s Drag Race.”

Muro said the parade and festival aim to instill pride in and support for the LGBTQ+ community through live music, drag performances, art, community zones and workshops centered around activism and engagement.

“Pride is more than just a celebration,” he said. “It’s really about a movement that brings the community together and reminds us of the strength that we have.”

Members of the LGBTQ+ community take part in the OC Pride Parade at the OC Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa.

(James Carbone)