WILTON MANORS, Fla. — Rainbow flags are flying high as Wilton Manors prepares to welcome tens of thousands of visitors for its annual Stonewall Pride parade and street festival, one of South Florida’s largest Pride celebrations.
Known as a longtime hub for the LGBTQ+ community, Wilton Manors is once again transforming into a vibrant destination filled with music, entertainment, advocacy and celebration.
Organizers expect approximately 50,000 people to gather along Wilton Drive for this year’s event, which promises to be bigger and brighter than ever. Community leaders, businesses and partners have spent months preparing for the festivities, all centered around a message of inclusion, equality and pride.
While the event is known for its festive atmosphere, organizers emphasize that Stonewall Pride is about much more than entertainment. The celebration honors the historic Stonewall Riots of 1969, widely recognized as the catalyst for the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement.
“Well, it means so many different things, right? It’s honoring and celebrating our victories, but also coalescing together to realize we are a community that needs to work toward full equality,” one organizer, Jameer Baptiste, said.
The celebration begins at 3 p.m. Saturday when Wilton Drive closes to traffic and the street festival officially opens. Safety remains a priority, with metal detectors stationed at all festival entrances.
Once inside, attendees can enjoy performances and entertainment across seven stages. The festival is surrounded by LGBTQ+-owned and LGBTQ+-friendly bars, nightclubs and restaurants, while a marketplace featuring a variety of vendors stretches along the drive.
The evening culminates with the popular Glow Night Parade at 8 p.m. Participants and spectators alike are encouraged to light up the night with glow sticks, glow-in-the-dark paint and illuminated costumes as the parade makes its way through the heart of Wilton Manors.
Organizers say the event welcomes everyone, regardless of background, and serves as an opportunity for allies, friends and family members to celebrate alongside the LGBTQ+ community.
“Although this is a celebration, it also means that we’re having fun and enjoying ourselves, but we’re recognizing that we need our partners and our loved ones and our family to come along with us,” Baptiste said. “That’s why it’s open to everyone to come and enjoy and feel and experience what it means to be around like-minded individuals that love and welcome each other wholeheartedly.”
Local 10 News will provide special coverage of the festivities during “Celebrating Pride,” airing Saturday at 8 p.m. from the heart of Wilton Manors.
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