St. Pete Pride 2016: Parade Route, Road Closings

St. Petersburg, FL — Tampa Bay area residents with plans to head out to St. Pete’s Pride Weekend festivities will find a number of roads shut down for the celebration.

According to the St. Petersburg Police Department, roads along Saturday’s parade route will close at 2 p.m. June 25. They're expected to reopen around 11 p.m.

The route for the parade, which steps off at 8 p.m., begins at the now closed George’s Alibi Bar on the corner of 3rd Avenue North and 31st Street. The parade then heads east along 30th Street and turns south to Central Avenue. It then heads east to 22nd Street.

The agency notes that First Avenues north and south will be open to east-west traffic, but side streets leading to Central Avenue will be closed.

Street closure’s for Sunday’s festival begin at 8 a.m. with the festival starting at 11 a.m. The festivities wind down at 6 p.m. with roads reopening by about 7 p.m.

During the festival, Central Avenue will be closed between 21st Street and 28th Street.

The parade features more than 150 organizations and businesses and is expected to have more than 4,500 marchers. It draws more than 200,000 people each year, according to St. Pete Pride.

While the parade doesn’t start until sunset, the Saturday Block Party begins at 5 p.m. This event features food, drinks, live music and more. It’s staged between 22nd and 27th streets along Central Avenue. The block party is scheduled to run until 11 p.m. or so.

Sunday’s Pride Festival takes place along Central Avenue from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. More than 350 exhibitors are expected to line both sides of Central Avenue for six blocks during the celebration, which features DJs, food, beverages and other vendors.

For more information about St. Pete Pride, visit its website.

Image via Shutterstock/Map courtesy of the St. Petersburg Police Department