Charlie Crist, Nikki Fried set to celebrate St. Pete’s 20th annual Pride Parade

U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist and Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried are both set to celebrate St. Petersburg’s 20th annual Pride Parade this Saturday.

The Congressman will be marching in the St. Pete Trans Pride March at 3:30 p.m. before joining the St. Pete Pride Parade at 4 p.m. Crist and Fried are the two frontrunners in the state’s Democratic gubernatorial Primary Election.

As the largest Pride celebration in Florida, and one of the biggest in the country, the event is the finale to a series of Pride celebrations throughout the month of June. This year’s event to celebrate the city’s vibrant LGBTQ+ community will be the city’s largest Pride festival to date.

We are a city that celebrates acceptance, inclusivity, individualism, and love for one another. That’s why we celebrate #PRIDE in St. Pete.

Friday, June 24 – Friday Night Concert
Saturday, June 25 – Parade 2PM-10PM
Sunday, June 26 – ‘Pride In Grand Central’ Street Carnival pic.twitter.com/O5GHf9oXmv

— St. Petersburg, FL (@StPeteFL) June 24, 2022

The city’s Pride Parade is a free and open to the public. The parade route will run from Vinoy Park to Albert Whittard Park along Bayshore Drive.

‍Festivities will begin at 2 p.m. on both sides of the route, and events will run throughout the day until 10 p.m. South Straub park will be designated as a 21 and older space with a DJ, food and bars, and vendors. PSTA is offering a fare free weekend and will be running park-n-rides to the Parade.

This year’s festivities kicked-off in St. Pete with the raising of the Pride flag over City Hall at the start of June.

But, outside of the city, Florida’s LGBTQ community has faced some hurdles.

The state has been the subject of national backlash by LGBTQ advocates. Republicans within the Florida Legislature became the subject of criticism after clearing Florida’s “Parental Rights in Education” law — dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” measure by critics.

Equality Florida, joined by the National Center for Lesbian Rights and a handful of families, filed a lawsuit against Gov. Ron DeSantis to overturn parental rights legislation governing classroom instruction on LGBTQ matters.

St. Pete Pride’s Board President Tiffany Freisberg called this year a “crucial time” for St. Pete Pride, whose mission is “more important than ever.”