TAMPA, Fla. — Tampa Pride’s diversity parade is this Saturday in Ybor City.
“It is so exciting that we are having our 11th diversity parade down in historic Ybor,” said Derek Durum, parade director.
Things kick off at 11 a.m. with different activities, including speeches, entertainment, food trucks, and vendors.
“New this year is going to be a huge pride expo, a travel expo which has got airlines coming in, it’s got cruise ships coming in, attractions and also resorts from different places,” said Carrie West, president of Tampa Pride.
The parade begins at 4 p.m., and it goes along 7th Avenue.
It starts at 7th Avenue and Nuccio Parkway and ends at the intersection of 7th Avenue and 20th Street. It’s expected to last about two hours.
“What makes Tampa Pride unique is the relationship between the participants and the people lining the streets,” said Durum.
There will be 134 different walking groups and floats in the parade.
“There’s so much going on. It’s just going to be a wonderful time for the whole community to come out to Ybor City and enjoy themselves,” said West.
Parade organizers anticipate about 60,000 people will attend.
The Tampa Police Department has been preparing for the large crowd and has several safety measures in place.
“We have additional officers. I’ll have officers on horseback, on bike. I’ll have officers in the air. I’ll have drones in the air. So we put a full court press on security because we want everybody to come out, feel safe and have a great event,” said Chief Lee Bercaw with the Tampa Police Department.
They also put up barriers and road closures for enhanced security to protect the crowds.
If you plan to go to the parade, police encourage you to take some time to prepare and make a plan.
“There’s gonna be a lot of road closures. So plan your route, know where you’re gonna park. Make sure you have a designated driver so that way you can have a good time,” said Sgt. Crystal Shiver with the Tampa Police Department.
“I’m the LGBTQ liaison for the Tampa Police Department, so I welcome any member of the community that ever has any issues or problems or feel like they need just somebody to listen to, or they have something they want to support to feel comfortable reaching out to me,” she added.
