Pride festival to draw big crowds this weekend
Tens of thousands of people are expected to converge this weekend in downtown Minneapolis for a mix of revelry and advocacy at the Twin Cities' Pride Festival and Parade.
The parade, which celebrates the diversity of the Twin Cities' gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community, will march down Hennepin Ave. starting at 11 a.m. Sunday and end at Loring Park. There, nearly 400 vendors, political advocacy organizations and artists will gather for the daylong celebration.
Organizers of the event say last year's parade drew more than 125,000 spectators decked out in rainbow-colored beads and flags, making it the largest parade in Minneapolis and one of the largest in the Upper Midwest.
The parade route will begin at the corner of 3rd St. and Hennepin Ave. and will follow Hennepin Ave. to Loring Park.
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A new giant rainbow flag will also make its debut at the event this year.
The parade and festival are free and open to the public. Tickets for a concert on Saturday night on the Loring Stage featuring Expose, Kat DeLuna, Kristine W, Tori Fixx and Mara Levi cost $12 in advance and $15 at the gate.
For more information, visit www.tcpride.org.
Editor's note: An earlier version of this story indicated the parade was scheduled for Saturday. This version is correct. The parade will be held Sunday.