MAIN Travel USA New York City NYC Gay Pride Parade

Gay pride has been publicly celebrated throughout the world during the month of June since the early 1970's.

Originating in New York City, the Gay Pride Parade is actually just one rainbow-colored event among many that goes on in NYC during Gay Pride Week.

Typically, the NYC Gay Pride Parade is held on the last day of the week in late June. Also held on the last day are the Gay Pride Festival, along with the annual Dance on the Pier following the parade wrapping up Gay Pride Week in a grand fireworks display.

NYC Gay Pride 2010

This year, watch for the festivities to kick off in New York earlier in the week with the annual rally at Bryant Park at 42nd Street and 6th Avenue, continuing through to the parade — with a march down Fifth Avenue on June 27, 2010 — beginning at 52nd Street and heading south to Christopher Street in Greenwich Village

Remembering Stonewall

2010 marks the 41st Anniversary of the Stonewall Riots in 1969, and a reminder that the Gay Pride Parade was not always such a festive event.

The original purpose of the parade was to commemorate the riots at the Stonewall Inn, a popular gay and lesbian bar of the time that became the epicenter for violent protests against the unlawful treatment that gays and lesbians suffered at the hands of the New York City police department.

The Stonewall riots are now considered a major turning point in the Gay Rights movement, and the Gay Pride Parade still goes past the site every year to pay tribute to its significance.

There is also a moment of silence during the Gay Pride Parade, which was adopted in 1986 by organizers as a response to the AIDS crisis, which was at that time a particularly heated issue within the gay and lesbian community.

It's Time to Party

Today, the Gay Pride Parade is an upbeat and festive event that draws huge crowds from around the Metro New York area numbering more than one million participants and spectators.

Vibrant costumes and dress have, in many ways, come to embody the spirit of the Gay Pride Parade over the years.

While event organizers remind participants that New York State has a law against nudity below the belt, parade participants are encouraged to express themselves in whatever way they see fit, which typically amounts to a spectacular display of creative and original costumes, displays, and floats.

More about the Gay Pride Week around the Web:

NYC Pride - The official site with details on the whole of Gay Pride Week festivities including times & locations, participant guide, volunteer opportunities, FAQ, photos & contact info.

Gay Pride New York City - About.com guide to Gay Pride Week with information on the parade, festival, the dance on the pier, and related events.

also see in Society -> Gays & Lesbians | Same Sex Marriage

also see in Travel -> Gay Friendly Travel

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