With just days to spare, gym owners launch Toluca Lake's first-ever LGBTQ+ Pride celebration

For the owners at NoHo Gym, it’s been a busy month.

John Paul Batista and Leonardo Foti intended only to gather some friends for the Dodgers’  Pride Night on June 5.

Instead, they got a tickle at the bottom of the ninth to launch Toluca Lake’s first-ever LGBTQ+ Pride festival.

Sunday, they’ll get their chance to bring more inclusion to their San Fernando Valley neighborhood, right in the Gelson’s parking lot.

Batista and Foti initially expected only a few people.

But when 40 people loaded onto a party bus bound for Dodger Stadium earlier this month, their brains went into overdrive.

“We were like, ‘Why is there not a Toluca Lake Pride Fest? This is where our gym is, this is where our community is,’” Batista said. “We just went to work.”

After rallying the neighboring businesses, the guys managed to get a block closed off.

From 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. Sunday, revelers can enjoy an inclusive day of fun, including drag bingo, DJs, live entertainment, a petting zoo for the kids and more.

“This is drawing families,” Foti said. “A lot of our (gym) members are LGBTQ+ families, the other, LGBTQ+ parents, or they have a child, or are part of our community of allies.”

The festival is at Mariota Avenue, at Riverside Drive, in Toluca Lake.

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