The City of West Hollywood invites the community to celebrate Harvey Milk Day with a special celebration featuring the fourth annual José Sarria Drag Pageant on Friday, May 22, 2026, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at West Hollywood Park’s South Lawn, located at 647 N. San Vicente Boulevard at the base of the Aquatic and Recreation Center’s Grand Staircase, adjacent to the West Hollywood Library. Join us for a night of pride, history, and fabulous performances as we celebrate the legacy of Harvey Milk. The event is co-sponsored by the Imperial Court, One Institute, and Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey P. Horvath, Third District.

This free event is open to all, and while RSVPs are not required, attendees are encouraged to register via Eventbrite for event reminders and details HERE.

The City’s annual Harvey Milk Day celebration kicks off the WeHo Pride season by commemorating the legacy and contributions of Harvey Milk. Harvey Milk (May 22, 1930 – November 27, 1978) was a pioneering LGBTQ+ activist and politician who made history in 1977 as the first openly gay elected official in California when he won a seat on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. Tragically, in November 1978, Milk was assassinated after only 11 months in office. Milk’s legacy in the LGBTQ+ community is enormous. In 2009, President Barack Obama posthumously awarded Harvey Milk with a Presidential Medal of Freedom for his contribution to the LGBTQ+ rights movement. In recognition of his contributions, May 22 — his birthday — was officially designated as Harvey Milk Day in 2009 as commemorative day by the California state legislature, signed into law by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. California. On April 20, 2015, the City of West Hollywood passed a Resolution to add Harvey Milk Day to its calendar of official holidays. West Hollywood is the first city in the nation to observe Harvey Milk Day as a holiday.

This year’s Harvey Milk Day celebration will feature the 4th annual José Sarria Drag Pageant, honoring the legacy of José Sarria, the first openly gay person to run for office in the United States, who helped pave the way for Harvey Milk’s successful run for office. Sarria was a well-known drag performer under the name the Window Norton and founded the Imperial Court System which is one of the oldest and largest LGBT organizations in the world. This year's drag pageant is once again hosted by West Hollywood Drag Laureate Pickle. Judges include Queen Mother Karina Samala and Emperor Eugene Maysky of the Imperial Court, and previous José Sarria Drag Pageant winners Samara Sin and Queen Angelina.

Harvey Milk served in the US Navy from 1951-1955. He resigned at the rank of Lieutenant junior grade, after being forced to accept an "other than honorable" discharge and leave the service rather than be court-martialed because of his homosexuality. In 2016, the United States Navy named a ship after him. However, during Pride month in June 2025, the Trump administration ordered the renaming of the ship "USNS Harvey Milk" to "USNS Oscar V. Peterson.” In response, this year's City of West Hollywood Harvey Milk Day event will have a nautical/naval theme.

In addition to the Drag Pageant, attendees can participate in voter registration, enjoy complimentary milk and cookies, and take advantage of a special Harvey Milk / Jose Sarria photo opportunity.

This event directly leads into the WeHo Pride Arts Festival, which is part of the City of West Hollywood’s WeHo Pride celebration. The City of West Hollywood will present its 2026 WeHo Pride Arts Festival on May 23 and May 24, 2026, at the Los Angeles LGBT Center's Village at Ed Gould Plaza, located at 1125 N. McCadden Place in Los Angeles. This two-day festival will feature theatre, poetry, literary readings, film screenings, and participatory workshops. The WeHo Pride Arts Festival will feature an LGBTQ+ artists and artisan mini craft fair, custom typewriter poetry, and free drop-in drawing workshops with live models. Participating presenter groups and artists include: 8TPS, Brown and Out, Celebration Theatre, Chase Lounge, HIV Writers Workshop, West Hollywood City Poet Laureate Jen Cheng, Jon Gentry, June Mazer Lesbian Archives, Literary Death Match, Mariachi Arco•Iris, Miguel Angel Reyes, Planet Queer, Pride Poets, and Outfest.

The City of West Hollywood’s free PickUp will stop at the WeHo Pride Arts Festival on N. McCadden Place approximately every 30 minutes from 12 p.m. to 10 p.m. each day and continue running to all regular route stops along Santa Monica Boulevard from N. La Brea Avenue to N. Robertson Boulevard. Visit www.wehopickup.com/ for shuttle route stops and more information; no tickets required, hop on/hop off. All Arts Festival programs and events are free to attend. Tickets for individual events are available at www.wehopride.com/artsfestival.

In June, WeHo Pride Weekend will take place Friday, June 5, 2026 through Sunday, June 7, 2026 and will include WeHo Pride Presents Friday Night at OUTLOUD; the free WeHo Pride Street Fair, showcasing a diverse array of LGBTQ+ community groups and organizations; the OUTLOUD Music Festival at WeHo Pride; the Women’s Freedom Festival; the Dyke March; and the WeHo Pride Parade. Additional information about #WeHoPride is posted at www.wehopride.com as it becomes available.

For information about Harvey Milk Day or the WeHo Pride Arts Festival, please contact Mike Che, the City of West Hollywood’s Arts Coordinator, at mche@weho.org. For more information about WeHo Pride, visit www.wehopride.com. For people who are Deaf or hard of hearing dial 711 or 1-800-735-2929 (TTY) or 1-800-735-2922 (voice) for California Relay Service (CRS) assistance.

For up-to-date information about City of West Hollywood news and events, follow @wehocity on social media, sign-up for news updates at www.weho.org/email, and visit the City’s calendar of meetings and events at www.weho.org/calendar. Receive text updates by texting “WeHo” to (323) 848-5000. Read feature articles about people, places, and City events at www.helloweho.com. City Hall programs and services information is available at www.weho.org.

For reporters and members of the media seeking additional information about the City of West Hollywood, please contact the City of West Hollywood’s Public Information Officer, Sheri A. Lunn, at (323) 848-6391 or slunn@weho.org.