Dozens of floats and hundreds of people turned out for the annual Rochester Pride Parade on Saturday. The event came back this year after a 2-year hiatus.
The event was put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent operational issues with Rochester’s Out Alliance organization.
It was estimated around 140 groups were marching, including a number of local and state political leaders.
The event was organized by ROC Pride Collective, a community-based coalition dedicated to celebrating LGBTQ+ Pride in the Greater Rochester area.
Sam Brett is Co-Chair of the Collective. He said that he’s happy with the turnout and the coalition that formed in response to fill a void that was missing in the community.
“This came full circle, right? Pride came out of the community standing up for itself,” said Brett. “And right now, full circle. The community is organized in its own events. And we're really happy to make that happen.”
Money raised by the ROC Pride Collective will support future Pride events throughout Rochester, and 10% of the proceeds are donated to support Rochester Black Pride.
The parade took place along Park Ave. in Rochester and after the event, a festival was held at Cobbs Hill Park Saturday afternoon and evening.
You can get information on some other Pride events in Rochester this month from CITY Magazine.
