PHOTOS & VIDEOS: Hundreds of thousands crowd Midtown for Atlanta Pride Parade

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - Sunday was the last day of Atlanta Pride — and it went out in style.

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A three-day-long event of celebration and remembrance, Atlanta Pride culminates in the Atlanta Pride Parade, which drew more than 100,000 marchers and onlookers. The parade began at the Civic Center Marta Station, headed down Peachtree Street, turned right onto 10th Street and ended at Piedmont Park.

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Atlanta News First exclusively aired the Atlanta Pride Parade on Peachtree TV.

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Held since 1971, Atlanta Pride is the country’s largest LGBTQ+ festival, often attracting crowds upward of 300,000. Its attendees range from everyday people to celebrities to government officials and more.

Dressed in rainbow-colored clothing and hoisting various Pride flags, many participants said the parade isn’t just a celebration. It’s also a chance for the community to rally and hope for a better future.

Andy Peabody, a reverend at Saint Mark United Methodist Church, said this is the first Atlanta Pride since the United Methodist Church ruled that openly LGBTQ+ people can be clergy members.

“[Pride] is a very, very big part of our church. This is a church that has stood for 30 years, advocating for inclusion of everybody,” he said.

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Jade, a young transgender boy, said it was exciting to attend the Pride parade for the first time with friends.

“Being trans is a big part of my identity, and I’m really proud of being trans,” Jade said. “There’s a lot of anti-trans laws happening right now, and I don’t want to go back. I don’t want to see this country go back. I want to go forward.”

Several Atlanta officials were also seen at the parade, like Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, Fulton County Sheriff Pat Labat and Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum.

Schierbaum, who is openly gay, walked down the street with several other police officers. He said 2024 marks his 18th or 19th time participating in the Atlanta Pride Parade.

“I knew this was a welcoming city, so to be walking as chief of police now, with all these great officers from the Atlanta Police Department and other agencies, this is the one time of year we celebrate the diversity of Atlanta,” he said.

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