2017 St. Pete Pride Parade, Festival: What To Know Before You Go

ST. PETERSBURG, FL – Come rain or shine, rainbows will fly over south Pinellas County for the 2017 St. Pete Pride weekend.

The 15th annual parade and street festival is the largest LGBT in the Tampa Bay area, and has grown even more this year, is set to take place June 23-25. The weekend’s also features a free concert.

Here’s what area residents need to know before you go to the 2017 St. Pete Pride Parade and Festival:

Weather

According to St. Pete Pride organizers, the 2017 St. Pete Pride Parade and Festival will go on rain or shine. While the threat of Tropical Storm Cindy should be gone by this weekend, keep an eye on St. Pete Pride social media accounts for any updates.

SP2 Concert

Kicking off the St. Pete Pride festivities is the SP2 Concert, which is scheduled to take place on Friday, June 23 at 7 p.m. in North Straub Park, 400 Bayshore Drive NE. The annual fundraising concert helps support local charities.

The local bands and singers appearing at this year’s free SP2 concert are Melissa Crispo, Geri X and The Spazmatics.

Beverage sales will benefit the St. Pete Pride Community Grants Program. The concert is presented by St. Pete Pride, with the proceeds going to Project No Labels, the 2017 Grand Marshal Organization.

2017 St. Pete Pride Parade

Florida’s only nighttime Pride parade in Florida, the 2017 St. Pete Pride Parade will saunter down Bayshore Drive on Saturday, June 24. The Saturday Party is set to begin at 2 p.m. in North Straub Park, while the parade itself gets underway at 6:30 p.m.

More than 6,000 participants are expected to participate in the parade, and an estimated 200,000 people are expected to line the parade route. The parade route starts at the intersection of Fifth Avenue North and Bayshore Drive, and ends at Dali Boulevard. Fireworks will follow the parade at 9:45 p.m.

The following artists are scheduled to perform on the Wells Fargo Stage in North Straub Park:

• 2:30 p.m. – Karmic Tattoo
• 3:20 p.m. – Rolando Xavier
• 4:05 p.m. – Christopher Thomas
• 4:35 p.m. – Derek Dean
• 5 p.m. – Panamory
• 6 p.m. – Jennifer Real

2017 St. Pete Pride Festival

The St. Pete Pride Festival is scheduled to take place on Sunday, June 25 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in downtown St. Petersburg. The event is expected to draw more than 50,000 people.

The daylong street festival features live performances and entertainment, community booths, art and food vendors. The festival takes place along Central Avenue from 31st Street to 22nd Street.

From west to east, the festival will start with the Grand Central Market, followed by the Art Walk, and finally the food vendors and exhibitors.

For more information on the St. Pete Pride Parade and events, visit www.stpetepride.com.

Image via Shutterstock