Rochester Pride Parade route, festival lineup and where to park

Rochester Pride parade update: Thousands are expected to celebrate today. Follow our live updates

Participants in Rochester’s annual Pride Parade , usually held along Park Avenue, will march in celebration down South Avenue this year.

The 2023 Pride Parade and Festival saw the biggest turnout in history, with over 15,000 attendees and more than 200 groups marching. The parade will move from its longtime route on Park Avenue in 2024 to accommodate larger crowds and improve accessibility, organizers say.

Park Avenue is also undergoing resurfacing this summer from Alexander Street to East Avenue.

Along with a new route, Rochester Pride Month’s focal event will bring a bustling musical and drag lineup, vendors, and parking restrictions to look out for.

Rochester Pride Parade 2024 schedule and festival lineup

Rochester’s 2024 Pride Parade will start at 11 a.m. Saturday at South Avenue and Science Parkway. From there, participants will march north along South Avenue before reaching Beikirch Park in Highland Park (1440 South Avenue), where a festival will occur the same day.

The parade and festival will go on rain or shine. No alcohol and no backpacks are allowed on the grounds. Pets aren’t allowed in, but service animals are welcome.

The festival will start at 11 a.m. at Highland Park, where there will be games, vendors, food trucks and live music until 6 p.m. Tickets are required to attend the festival and can be bought online in advance or the day of at the gate (cash only). General admission is $5, and kids 12 and under go in for free. VIP tickets for $50 include a bar, lounge area and private restroom trailer.

The event’s musical headliner is Nina Sky, a twin-sister duo that fuses R&B, dancehall, reggaeton, hip-hop and pop influences. The duo’s 2004 track "Move Ya Body" became a  Billboard Hot 100 hit, and they’ve been touring for the past two decades.

Audiences will also hear music from DJ Citizen Jane, Ethan Soza, Kaylin Cervini, Adrienne Mack-Davis and Stunt Double. Several drag performances will dazzle the festival stage, including some from RuPaul’s Drag Race alumni and Miss and Mr. Gay Pride Rochester.

This year’s Pride theme will be Pride Galaxy, so get your space-themed accessories and galaxy-print outfit ready to go.

More Pride: 2024 Rochester Pride Parade and Festival announces Grand Marshal and Honorary Marshal

Rochester Pride Parade: Where to park or catch the shuttle

Event organizers ask that participants avoid parking on neighborhood streets around the parade route and recommend ride-sharing.

Paid parking will be available at two locations:

• Al Sigl Center (1000 Elmwood Avenue) — $5
• Grass lot between the Al Sigl Center and Meadowbrook Road — $5

Free parking for people with disabilities will be available at the Lilac Adventure Zone (249 Highland Avenue).

A shuttle will run non-stop between Highland Avenue and Science Parkway from 12:45 p.m. to 7 p.m.

History of Pride in Rochester

Pride Month, for the most part, is celebrated worldwide in June, commemorating the Stonewall Uprising in New York City in June of 1969. The Flower City celebrates Pride in July, though it hosted a number of events, including a drag brunch and and the Official Pride Bar Crawl, in June.

Pride’s beginnings in Rochester can be traced back to May of 1971 when about 300 protesters attended a sit-in — what they called a “gay-in” — at Genesee Valley Park.

The city began the annual tradition of hosting the Pride Picnic with the gathering of the “gay community picnic” in July 1972. The picnic, held July 13 this year, now marks the kick-off of Pride Week in Rochester.

The first Pride Parade in Rochester took place along East Main Street on June 28, 1989 — the 20th anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising. Organizers moved the parade to Park Avenue in 1991, where it was held annually until this year.

An adjoining Pride Festival was added to Pride Parade celebrations in 1996 and has been held throughout the city, including at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Park in 2014 and 2015. It’s been at Highland Park since 2016.

The Pride Picnic: Why Rochester celebrates Pride in July

— Christina Chkarboul is a summer intern at the Democrat and Chronicle and a student journalist at USC, where she focuses on Earth science, global studies and journalism. Contact her at cchkarboul@gannett.com with story tips related to code enforcemen t.

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Rochester Pride Parade route, festival lineup and where to park