Chicago Pride Parade 2017: 5 Years That Defined Event For Nearly 5 Decades

CHICAGO, IL — After nearly a half century, Chicago's annual Pride Parade has become the cornerstone of celebrations in the city during Pride Month in June. This year, 150 floats, decorated vehicles, marching bands and other entries will participate in the 48th annual parade, which starts at noon Sunday. Comedian and "Orange Is the New Black" actress Lea DeLaria, a native of Belleville, Illinois, will be the grand marshal, and this year's theme is "Viva la Vida/ Stand Up, Stand Proud."

Like any large, public event that has lasted for decades, the Chicago Pride Parade has evolved over the years, launching in the aftermath of a seminal moment for the LGBTQ community to becoming the kind of happening that draws musical acts, Hollywood celebrities and pro athletes. Patch took a look at the parade's history and highlighted the five biggest years in its almost-50-year existence. (Get Patch real-time email alerts for the latest news for Lincoln Park and Chicago — or other neighborhoods. And iPhone users: Check out Patch's new app.)

1. 1970: Inaugural Parade

The first time for any event might not be the biggest or the best, but it always will have that special distinction of starting it all. Chicago's first Pride Parade was June 27, 1970, a year after the historic Stonewall Inn demonstrations that had members of New York's LGBTQ community protesting the unfair treatment they received from that city's police department.

RELATED: Metra Adds Extra Trains For Pride Parade

Organized more as a political march than a celebratory parade, Chicago's event marked the culmination of the city's first Gay Pride Week. The parade's original route began at Washington Square Park on the Near North Side and ended at Daley Plaza (then known as the Chicago Civic Center). About 150 to 200 people attended, according to ChicagoPride.com. For comparison, Second City's Mainstage Theater seats 290 people.

2. 1981: Bittersweet Year

More than a decade after the first parade and pride week, Mayor Jane Byrne officially proclaimed June 28, 1981 — the date of the 12th annual parade — as Gay Pride Parade Day in Chicago. Not only did that year's parade have one of its longest procession routes, but it also saw attendance grow to around 8,000.

That same month also saw the first article published in Chicago about a new, unknown illness affecting the gay community. In a small story published June 19, Chicago Gay Life was the first outlet in the city to mention the disease that would eventually be known as AIDS, according to ChicagoPride.com.

3. 1989: Mayoral First

Jane Byrne might have been the first mayor to officially recognize the parade, but it would be nearly another 10 years before a Chicago mayor participated in the event while still in office. Mayor Richard M. Daley earned that distinction during the 20th annual parade. He also served as that parade's grand marshal.

WATCH: Highlights from the 20th annual Chicago Pride Parade in 1989.

4. 2010: Lord Stanley's Cup Is A Special Guest

Over the years, a bevy of celebrities have participated in the Chicago Gay Pride Parade, including country music stars Ty Herndon and Cheyl Wright to actors Alexandra Billings, Monia Raymund and George Takei. But one of the event's biggest celebrity "guests" wasn't even a person. In 2010, the Chicago Blackhawks won its first NHL championship since 1961, and the Stanley Cup made an appearance in the parade, the first time any major sports trophy was part of a pride parade.

The cup's inclusion came about thanks to Brent Sopel, a now-retired NHL defenseman who was playing with the Blackhawks at the time. Sopel wanted to pay tribute to his friend Brendan Burke, the late son of the Toronto Maple Leafs general manager who had died earlier that year, and he and the trophy rode on a float shared by the Chicago Gay Hockey Association, WGN Radio and Jewel Foods. That year also saw the Chicago Cubs participating in the parade, represented by legend Ernie Banks and team co-owner Laura Ricketts, the first openly gay owner of a major sports franchise.

"I'm not really there to make a big statement," Sopel told NHL.com at the time. "But everybody is a person and we all have feelings."

The Stanley Cup returned to the Pride Parade in 2015 after the Blackhawks won the NHL title that year.

WATCH: The NHL's Stanley Cup makes its first appearance in a Chicago Pride Parade in 2010.

5. 2013: Millions Milestone

As the saying goes, greatness comes from small beginnings. The Chicago Pride Parade began with only around 200 people in attendance. But over the years, the event grew, and turnout hovered between 200,000 to 400,000 from 1997 to 2010.

In 2013, however, the parade hit a major milestone: It reached the 1 million mark for the first time. And it hasn't dipped below that total, with at least a million people attending annually since then. Previously, the Pride Parade's highest attendance was about 850,000 in 2012.

48th Annual Chicago Pride Parade

• When: Noon Sunday, June 25
• Where: The 4-mile route begins at Broadway and Montrose Avenue in the Uptown neighborhood and ends near Sheridan Road and Diversey Parkway in Lincoln Park. (See map below for parade route.)
• More Info: Go to the parade's website.

Parking Restrictions

Tickets and towing for vehicles parked in restricted areas will begin at 5 a.m. Sunday. The following is a list of the no parking areas from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m.:

• Montrose Avenue, from Greenview Avenue to Hazel Street
• Broadway, from Leland Avenue to Grace Street; and from Melrose Avenue to Diversey Parkway
• Sunnyside Avenue, from Broadway to North Sheridan Road
• Halsted Street, from Grace Street to Belmont Avenue (parking restricted until 4 a.m. Monday, June 26)
• Belmont Avenue, from Racine Avenue to Broadway
• Diversey Parkway, from Broadway to Cannon Drive (Sheridan)
• Cannon Drive, from Diversey Parkway to Fullerton Parkway
• Addison Street, from 736 W. Addison St. to Sheffield Avenue
• Waveland Avenue, from Halsted Street to Broadway
• Grace Street, from Halsted Street to Fremont Street
• Clifton Steet, from Montrose to Sunnyside avenues
• North Sheridan Road, from Sunnyside to Buena avenues
• Buena Avenue, from Sheridan Road to Broadway
• Wellington Avenue, from Clark Street to Sheffield Avenue
• Sunnyside Avenue, Broadway to North Sheridan Road
• North Sheridan Road, from Montrose Avenue to Agatite Street

Photos via Patch archive

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