Every year, around the end of June, San Francisco is home to probably the biggest and most famous Pride festival on the face of the earth. The world comes together to celebrate lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender culture in one of the most open minded and gender diverse cities in the world. People travel from all over the world to attend the annual event described as “the largest gathering of LGBT people and allies in the nation” on the official website.
The centre of the festival is the parade. It takes place on the Sunday morning. It runs between 10.30 until about 3.00 pm, west along Market Street. This usually starts with the renowned “Dykes on Bikes” (also known as the Women's Motorcycle Contingent) which features several hundred motorcycles ridden by mostly women, although, as it is a LGBT festival, they do not discriminate against gender and allow anybody to participate. Another one of the well established groups is the PFLAG, which consists largely of the parents and families of LGBT people who march in favour of LGBT equality, often alongside their LGBT relatives. There are also religious, small minority groups and LGBT friendly businesses represented in the parade. With over 200 contingents, this is a spectacular event that will impress anybody watching.
The festival is usually held on the last weekend in June, which roughly marks the anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, a series of violent demonstrations against the LGBT discrimination in the50s and 60s where members of the LGBT community battled against the police in New York City. The rainbow LGBT flag was actually originally created for the Pride Parade in 1978 by Gilbert Baker. The pride festival in San Francisco dates back to 1970 with a small march down Polk Street, but has been formally organised since 1972, and although the name keeps changing, still remains world renowned to date.
The festival itself takes part in the Civic Centre, although the whole city gets involved with various booths and stages popping up around the area of the parade and indeed all over the city. There have been a number of notable performers such as the Backstreet Boys, Lady Gaga and The Weather Girls over the years, demonstrating their support for their cause. It is organised by the non-profit organisation “The San Francisco Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride Celebration Committee” and is funded by community projects, corporate sponsorships, city grants and donations. Every year, they select a theme for the event which is reflected in the advertising and logos for the upcoming event. The festival lasts for two days, although is preceded by an individually organised Trans March occurring on the Friday before the event.
Although the main theme is to celebrate and represent the LGBT community, the whole festival is about being yourself and accepting of everybody's diversity, and it can be enjoyed by anybody from any background. It is the perfect way to show some minorities in the community that you care about them, and to party and to celebrate while supporting your fellow citizens.