On Sunday, between West 34th Street and 5th Avenue, hundreds of crowd-goers shouted and waved rainbow flags during this year’s NYC Pride Parade.
For the first hour, the crowd was livelier than the parade itself. It began with marches by government figures and social justice groups. People went wild as Mayor Bill DeBlasio and Governor Andrew Cuomo marched by. The NYPD, Canadian police and LGBT officers all marched as well.
The NYC officers presented a marching band that played upbeat music, which helped level the mood after more somber statements made by activism groups. The band was appropriately followed by cheerleaders clad in red crop tops and pleated skirts. The cheerleaders chanted and stopped to do basket tosses and flips in the middle of the parade.
Overall, although the parade is a spectacle year after year, this year’s was a bit underwhelming. The crowd’s enthusiasm seemed to overpower the more-subdued marchers. We would have loved to seen more musical performances, elaborate floats, and exciting appearances. Although this wasn’t our all-time favorite year for the NYC Pride Parade, the jam-packed, energetic crowd showed an overwhelming passion for equal rights that will hopefully continue throughout the country, which is the most important message of all.
But enough from us. See it for yourself. Check out the slideshow above featuring our photos from the parade.