St. Pete Pride is changing the location of the parade and festival in 2017, according to a press release sent Dec. 15.
“This has been a topic among the board for the last eight or nine years,” said St Pete Pride’s longest serving board member Stanley Solomons. “We were always familiar and comfortable with the Grand Central District. But regardless of my fondness with the current location, the time to move came when the logistics and security measures changed.”
The new path for the St. Pete Pride nighttime parade will take it down Bayshore Drive on Saturday and the Pride festival will be in Vinoy Park on Sunday. The change will expand Pride from two days to three, opening with a block party in the Grand Central District on Friday night before the parade.
“It was extremely important to the board that the Grand Central District remain part of St Pete Pride Weekend,” said Eric Skains, Executive Director of St Pete Pride. “Grand Central will always be a special place for the LGBTQ community. We fully intend to work closely with the district to ensure the Friday night event is supported by our sponsors and marketed equally with the parade and festival.”
The St. Pete Pride Board of Directors will officially vote on the move at the January 17 board meeting.
For more information on the proposed move and to see the pared and festival maps visit StPetePride.com.
