Lynn Karsvaek came all the way from Hoffman Estates to attend the Aurora Pride Parade on Sunday.
“This is important because people need to show they are supportive and everyone is welcome,” Karsvaek said at the event in downtown Aurora.
Organized by Aurora Pride, the parade was part of a series of Pride celebrations in the city that included a Pride at the Plaza event on Saturday as well as a Pride after party following the parade at Two Brothers Roundhouse.
Gwyn Ciesla, president of Aurora Pride, said the seventh annual Pride Parade was set to feature “somewhere north of 70 participants.”
“We have a wide range of participants from non-profit groups, businesses and a lot of faith communities – kind of the same mix as we’ve had in previous years,” Ciesla said. “This year, it’s just a little bit bigger and in terms of marchers this might be the biggest.”
Ciesla said the annual Pride Parade has made a difference in Aurora.
“I think the event itself has become really appreciated by a lot of the residents. There’s a pretty big reaction every year when it comes out,” Ciesla said. “There’s been a couple of years where there was some uncertainty about whether it would happen or not for one reason or another and, whenever that happens, residents have been quick to demand that it happens.
“I think also there’s been a wider impact,” Ciesla said. “There’s a lot of younger LGBTQ kids who can kind of see themselves more in terms of what it might look like to be a successful LGBTQ adult and that’s a really big deal. I think that’s made Aurora a bit more kind of a place for LGBTQ people.”
A parade-goer holds a “Love Wins” sign during the annual Pride Parade in downtown Aurora on Sunday, June 14, 2026. (Mark Black/For The Beacon-News)
Hal Brynteson of Geneva, who moved to the area a year ago, came to the parade Sunday.
“We moved to Geneva last year and I’m involved with Belong Fox Valley which is in the Geneva area. It’s a Pride organization,” Brynteson said. “I volunteer with them and they advertised the parade and that’s how I found out about this.”
Brynteson said the annual parade has an impact on the Aurora area.
The Chicago Pride Guard performs during the annual Pride Parade in downtown Aurora on Sunday, June 14, 2026. (Mark Black/For The Beacon-News)
“To me, this is important,” Brynteson said. “In the past couple years – we have a youth group of LGBTQ teens, and especially interacting with the teens, there’s been an increasing amount of laws that make it hard to exist and get the support they need to get, especially in schools it’s been getting harder for them to be recognized by the faculty. I think it’s important for the community to make those spaces for young people or older folks who didn’t get to have it when they were young and just support the community and see each other.”
Matthew Swed, also of Geneva, was a first-time parade attendee and said having Pride events like this in Aurora “helps normalize the lifestyle and makes it a part of everyday life.”
“It’s a yearly celebration,” Swed said.
Spectators line the streets of downtown Aurora for the annual Pride Parade on Sunday, June 14, 2026. (Mark Black/For The Beacon-News)
Deanna Morales of Montgomery has been to the parade five times before and said it has become “an annual event for me and I want to support my daughter.”
“I support my daughter and I support free love,” Morales said. “I’m glad to see over the years that this has continued and I hope it continues for a very long time. I feel it’s important with people coming together and supporting each other and letting them know it’s OK to be who you are.”
David Sharos is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.