One of the largest Pride celebrations in the Southeast is getting underway in downtown St. Petersburg, with events starting Friday and continuing through the weekend.<\/p>\n
Organizers say St. Pete Pride will once again draw hundreds of thousands of people to the city for a celebration centered on inclusion, entertainment and community.<\/p>\n
Festivities begin Friday night with a concert and night market at the Coliseum, offering live music, local vendors and an indoor option to beat the summer heat.<\/p>\n
The weekend ramps up Saturday, when the Pride festival opens at North Straub Park in the afternoon. The signature Pride parade is set to step off at 6 p.m. from Albert Whitted Park, traveling along Bayshore Drive toward Vinoy Park.<\/p>\n
On Sunday, the celebration continues with a street fair in the Grand Central District, featuring vendors, food, entertainment and community partners.<\/p>\n
Organizers looking ahead at funding challenges<\/p>\n
While this year\u2019s event is moving forward as planned, organizers say they are already keeping an eye on what comes next.<\/p>\n
A new Florida law limits local governments from funding or supporting initiatives tied to diversity, equity and inclusion, but it will not take effect until January 1, 2027.<\/p>\n
That means this year\u2019s Pride festivities are largely unaffected, though uncertainty remains about future support.<\/p>\n
At the same time, organizers say they have already seen some sponsors pull back, creating additional fundraising pressure as they prepare for next year.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are facing a really incredible fundraising year,\u201d said St. Pete Pride President Byron Green-Calisch. \u201cWe\u2019re asking people to donate $1\u2026 and that really changes the scope of things for us as an organization.\u201d<\/p>\n
Organizers say community support will be key in keeping the annual event going strong in the years ahead.<\/p>\n
What to know before heading out<\/p>\n
With large crowds expected throughout the weekend, city leaders are encouraging attendees to plan ahead.<\/p>\n
Major road closures will begin Saturday. Bayshore Drive will shut down early in the afternoon ahead of the parade and remain closed into the evening.<\/p>\n
On Sunday, Central Avenue in the Grand Central District will be closed for much of the day as the street fair takes place.<\/p>\n
Parking garages like Sundial and SouthCore offer convenient access, but officials recommend using public transportation whenever possible. PSTA will provide free transit options, including the SunRunner, park-and-ride services and trolleys to help move people in and out of downtown.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t want to be trying to drive around and navigate through downtown this weekend,\u201d Green-Calisch said. \u201cI encourage people to look at the park-and-ride options or even ride your bike.\u201d<\/p>\n
Safety and security measures in place<\/p>\n
St. Petersburg Police say there are no credible threats heading into the weekend, but officers will maintain a strong presence throughout the event.<\/p>\n
Authorities will work with local, state and federal partners while monitoring crowds and activity across the city.<\/p>\n
In previous years, that has included the use of drones, cameras and both visible and undercover officers to ensure public safety.<\/p>\n
A weekend focused on celebration<\/p>\n
Despite challenges ahead, organizers say the focus this weekend remains on celebration, visibility and community connection.<\/p>\n
With a packed schedule of events, live entertainment and activities across the city, St. Pete Pride is expected to once again bring a colorful and vibrant energy to downtown.<\/p>\n
Organizers are encouraging attendees to plan ahead, stay hydrated and come ready to celebrate.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"One of the largest Pride celebrations in the Southeast is getting underway in downtown St. Petersburg, with events…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":242601,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[133327,29402,502,4277,17222,45223,829,15555,4223,202,204,203,3939,199,201,200],"class_list":["post-321644","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-st-petersburg","tag-albert-whitted-park","tag-bayshore-drive","tag-community","tag-community-support","tag-downtown-st-petersburg","tag-grand-central-district","tag-local-governments","tag-organizers","tag-pride-parade","tag-st-pete","tag-st-pete-headlines","tag-st-pete-news","tag-st-pete-pride","tag-st-petersburg","tag-st-petersburg-headlines","tag-st-petersburg-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/321644","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=321644"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/321644\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/242601"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=321644"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=321644"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=321644"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}