SANTA CRUZ — The annual Santa Cruz Pride Parade and Festival in downtown Santa Cruz unfolded Sunday under warm and sunny conditions with thousands taking part in the upbeat parade.
With thousands more lining Pacific Avenue, the main drag of downtown, the highly energized 43rd annual parade recognizes and celebrates the lesbian, gay, transgender and bisexual community and garners support from an exhaustive list of leaders, organizations, religious groups, social services and businesses.
Alex Antana of Watsonville, program coordinator for the Diversity Center in Santa Cruz, a major supporter of the event, said he was pleased with the outcome.
“I participated in the event a few years ago and I was happy to be back this year,” Antana said. “I felt that there were a lot more folks that were part of the queer community showing up. It reflects more folks in the trans-identified community taking a step outside in the community. I was happy to see a leading youth contingent for the Diversity Center’s Youth Center. The crowd was definitely pumped up. I think the people that show up for the pride event are allies and show a lot of support.”
Police cordon off motor traffic for several blocks to allow the event to unfold.
Marching bands, cheerleaders, clowns, drama skits, dancing, and plenty of hugs filled the street for about an hour. The event was capped with a festival on Cathcart Street that was filled with speeches, live music, merchandise tables and food.
