San Francisco Pride Parade Returns After COVID-19 Hiatus

For the first time since 2019, San Francisco’s Pride Parade returned in person.

Hundreds of thousands of LGBTQ community members and allies gathered to march down Market Street Sunday in a parade so packed that it stretched for hours.

San Francisco welcomed back it’s beloved Pride parade after a two-year pandemic pause, the city's celebration of the LGBTQ community returned with flying colors.

"I’ve always wanted to go to pride, i am also gay, so this is really exciting for me," said Cammie Haas of San Carlos who attended the parade with a friend.

Hundreds of thousands of people, young and old, lined up Market Street. Some drove for hours to get here.

"We're supporting our son Izzy, we've been to several Pride [events] before but never what's considered the mecca of the Pride festivals in San Francisco," said Jonathan Hurtado of Ontario, California.

There were also people who flew in to attend the parade.

"We're from Mexico and my mom came here to visit us, exclusively to be at the parade today," said Diego Cuevas of Hayward.

It was a chance for people, companies, and politicians to show their support. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi rode along the parade route in a car as did many state and local elected officials.

But this wasn't all party. It was also part protest, with many expressing their anger and disappointment at this week's Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe v. Wade.

"I feel like now we're stepping back, we're stepping back in time how it used to be,” said Maria Micaela of Sacramento. "But they got to hear our voice, this is why this is a celebration, everybody gotta hear us."

Despite the frustration and even some fear of what comes next, on this day, this community has opted to keep dancing, to keep cheering for one another, and to keep focusing on pride.

"You can't just let the way of what's going on in the world bear you down, sometimes, you just gotta fight and show love, because that's how you break through," Hurtado said.