Entertainment & Events
San Diego Pride celebrates 35 years this weekend
San Diego’s largest parade, a plethora of entertainment, countless attractions and ongoing community events are just few highlights to San Diego LGBT Pride. With the theme “Stonewall 2.0 – Activism for Equality,” the annual event celebrates its 35th anniversary this weekend.
The San Diego Pride celebration is the fifth largest in the United States attracting 160,000 spectators to the Parade and 50,000 to the weekend Festival. The Pride Parade is the best-attended and largest single day event in San Diego.
The theme commemorates the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall riots in New York City while embracing today’s new generation of grassroots activists and the methods they’ve used for mobilizing attention to equal rights.
“This year’s theme reflects on gay civil rights activism of the last 40 years and calls upon each one of us to take action and demand full equality,” said Pride Executive Director Ron deHarte. “We’ve made many advances since the Stonewall Riots marked the start of the modern gay rights movement in 1969, and since San Diego’s first Pride march was held 35 years ago. The inner activist in each of us must answer the call to achieve full civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights for all LGBT people.”
For further details and updates, call 619-297-7683 or visit the web site at SanDiegoPride.org.
San Diego Pride Parade
Saturday, July 18, step-off at 11 a.m.
Parade route (aka the Rainbow Mile): Starts on University Ave at Normal St. and travels west to Sixth Ave. Then turns south on Sixth Ave and travels to Upas.
The San Diego LGBT Pride parade has come a very long way since the 1970s. It now embodies 30 floats and 150 contingents from San Diego’s diverse LGBT community, including straight supporters, local politicians and community churches and businesses. With more than 180 floats and contingents, 8,000 participants and 160,000 spectators, the Parade is the largest civic event in San Diego. It is an enormous spectacle not to be missed!
San Diego Pride Festival
July 18, Noon – 10 p.m.,
July 19, 11 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Marston Point in Balboa Park (Juniper and Sixth Ave.)
The two-day festival will feature multiple stages for internationally renowned performers such as Terri Nunn & Berlin, The Shiny Toy Guns, The Bird and the Bee, The Lady Chablis, Chunky Sanchez and more. In addition, the grounds will make way for a MetLife Latin stage, an Ebony Pride stage, a women-powered Lavender Stage and three dance arenas fueled by popular DJs, including DJ Producer Mark Picchiotti from Chicago, Shane Stiel, Martin Petersen and local DJ favorites Kiki and Muse.
The cost is $20 per day.
Other festival attractions include a first-ever farmers market produce stand presented by Von’s; free carnival games and prizes; a HIV “Get Tested” pavilion by UCSD; an eco-friendly Green With Pride Zone; a human rights exhibit; and a Children’s Garden. Food and drink will be in abundance, with numerous vendors stationed throughout the festival along with a Malibu Tiki Lounge and the Hilton Odysea Liquid Adventure featuring hand-crafted cocktails.
Additional Pride Information
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