ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — June is Pride Month, and St. Pete is geared up for another eventful year of hosting Florida's largest LGBTQ+ Pride celebration.
Despite the cancellation of other local pride events over recent Florida laws, this year's St. Pete Pride held a jam-packed schedule of events lined up for the entire month, including a Youth Pride & Family Day, an Idina Menzel concert, and the signature Pride Parade.
The parade ran from Albert Whitted Park to Vinoy Park along Bayshore Drive. Thousands of people lined both sides of the street along the parade route.
10 Tampa Bay's Miranda Parnell emceed the parade, engaging with many people in attendance and introducing each float that passed by.
St. Pete Mayor Ken Welch rode in a car at the head of the parade. Floats followed the mayor with riders throwing treats like beads, gift cards and sweatbands.
The parade began around 6:20 p.m. and concluded just before 8:30 p.m.
There were a variety of local vendors, food trucks, DJs, and a beer garden in North Straub Park for event-goers to enjoy throughout the day.
Organizers said over 300,000 people came out to attend the parade. It's one of the largest in the entire country.
Those who help put the parade on explained it takes 11 months to plan. All the planning in their eyes is worth it when they see people come from all over the state to attend. One couple drove hours from Southwest Florida to attend.
"We came all the way from Ft. Myers. We could not miss St. Pete Pride," Nestor Montoya said.
The St. Pete Pride Parade returned in 2022 after a two-year hiatus caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. With over 175 floats and tens of thousands of attendees, organizers labeled it the largest parade in the event’s 20-year history.
10 Tampa Bay is the proud official TV broadcast partner of St. Pete Pride. Full coverage of the parade can be seen on this article.
10 Tampa Bay's Andrea Chu contributed to this report.