St. Pete To Host Florida's Largest Pride Parade

ST. PETERSBURG, FL -- Raising the rainbow flag over St. Petersburg City Hall for the fifth year Thursday, June 21, St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman kicked off the 16th annual St. Pete Pride Festival, the largest LGBT celebration in Florida.

Surrounded by Pride Festival organizers and members of the city council, Kriseman said this year's flag-raising is special for him because he was re-elected mayor last fall based on his commitment to diversity and support of the Pride Festival.

Luke Blankenship, director of the St. Pete Pride Festival, thanked the city of its support.

"It's going to be an amazing event," he said. "There are few events that bring together groups of different ages, ethnicities, sexual orientations and gender identities like Pride does. We should count our blessings."

The weekend features a full slate of events starting tonight with a Rooftop Kick-Off Party from 7 to 9 p.m. at Kimpton Hotel Zamora's Castile Rooftop Bar, 3701 Gulf Blvd., St. Pete Beach. The party will feature live music and a free drink coupon upon entry.

The celebration will continue Friday, June 22, with the SP2 Concert from 7 to 10 p.m. at North Straub Park, 400 Bayshore Drive N.E., St. Pete. Hosted by Coco Montrese of televisions All-Stars 2, Frank Marino's Divas and Season 5 of RuPaul's Drag Race, the free concert will include a mix of bands and local singers, including Swipe Right, Rolando and the Spazmatics.

The LGBT Pride Party will kick off at 2 p.m. Saturday, June 23 at Straub Park with a full lineup of live entertainment.

Then the much-anticipated St. Pete Pride Parade, featuring 5,000 colorfully costumed participants, will get underway at 7 p.m. This year's parade is expected to attract more than 200,000 spectators from around the country.

The weekend of Pride will culminate with the St. Pete Pride Festival on Sunday, June 24 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Grand Central District.

For more details, visit the St. Pete Pride website.

Video via City of St. Pete