Pride Night Parade energizes downtown Las Vegas — PHOTOS
Rainbow hues colored downtown Las Vegas as a huge crowd turned out Friday night to celebrate LGBTQ+ pride at the annual Las Vegas Pride Night Parade.
People began gathering around 6 p.m. at the intersection of South Fourth Street and East Bridger Avenue.
Before the parade, Las Vegas PRIDE leaders and elected officials including Gov. Steve Sisolak — who sported a shirt that read, “I will say gay and I will protect trans kids” — delivered supportive messages to the crowd.
“Nevada is a welcoming place for everyone. That is why we are so proud to be here. We are so proud to be here with the LGBTQ+ community,” Sisolak said. “I want you to know that as long as Kathy and I are in the governor’s mansion you have friends in Carson City.”
Friends Chris Lebron and Chamika Garba stood near the main stage as the crowd gathered before the parade.
“We come every year to celebrate the love between everybody,” Lebron said.
Lebron had a rainbow flag tied to his backpack. Lebron was far from the only person flying those colors. Rainbow flags, socks, shirts and headbands were proudly worn by many as people lined the parade route on Fourth Street.
“In order to grow together, you show up together,” Garba said. “If you believe in a certain thing and you want to be able to have freedoms, you want to be able to have rights we have to stick together. I like seeing a lot of familiar faces, new faces, making friends.”
Garba pointed to the art, costumes and creativity of those in attendance as another highlight.
Around 7:20 p.m. the parade began with firetrucks, cars and floats making their way down Fourth Street ending at the intersection with Stewart Avenue.
Las Vegas PRIDE Vice President Joslyn Hatfield estimated that as many as 10,000 people attended the parade along the full route.
Jasmine Carter and Liz Harder stood behind a barrier in anticipation of watching the floats come by.
“I think it’s really important for our youth to be able to see that there are people in your city who feel and identify the same way as you. Because I know for me as a kid growing up in Las Vegas I wasn’t aware of this event and I didn’t start going till I was a senior in high school,” Carter said. “So I wasn’t aware of all these people in my city that would make me feel like I wasn’t alone.”
Seeing people of all ages and walks of life is powerful, Harder said.
“In your everyday life you might not experience people who are older and queer or families with two moms or two dads,” Harder said. “It’s really nice to be able to see like oh yeah it’s not that you stop being gay at 30 or 40.”
That feeling of community brings them back year after year, they said.
“You don’t have to hide here. People can come and they can act how they want,” Carter said. “They can hold hands with their partner. They can show who they are. Like in everyday life you might not be able to because you’re worried for your safety or how it’ll affect your job.”
The celebration of the LGBTQ+ community continues Saturday with the Las Vegas Pride Festival at Craig Ranch Regional Park, 628 W. Craig Road, North Las Vegas.
Contact David Wilson at dwilson@reviewjournal.com. Follow @davidwilson_RJ on Twitter.
