St. Pete Pride announced March 2 via Facebook that the annual parade will move to the downtown area, but will keep the street festival in the Grand Central District.
“Today the City of St. Petersburg, Florida USA City Council voted unanimously to approve a five-year agreement with St. Pete Pride,” the post reads. “The shopper friendly Street Festival will remain in Grand Central while the Pride Parade will run through Downtown St. Pete. Special thanks to [St. Petersburg Mayor] Rick Kriseman for his leadership in bringing everyone together. Beginning this year, we will celebrate diversity from Downtown St. Pete to Grand Central!”
The new parade route will begin at Albert Whitted Park and proceed along Bayshore Drive to Vinoy Park.
St. Pete Pride announced they would be moving the entire festival downtown back in January, but after many Grand Central businesses expressed anger at the move, Kriseman threatened to pull city funding for St. Pete Pride if they moved forward with the change.
The compromise will allow St. Pete Pride to keep city funding.
