Colors of Pride fill St. Pete on eve of parade

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St. Pete Pride, the largest LGBTQ festival in the state, kicks off Friday night.

All month long, Pride events have taken place across the Bay Area, but the main events are Friday's concert, Saturday's parade, and Sunday's street festival.

For the second year in a row, the Transtastic Trans Pride March will lead the St. Pete Pride Parade, starting at 7 o'clock Saturday.

Like last year, the parade route plots along the water, on Bayshore Drive.

This will be Glenda Wood’s fourth St. Pete Pride. She’s from Orlando.

“It really is important to have Pride celebrations because it gives us legitimacy and acceptance,” Wood told FOX 13 News.

“It shows solidarity for all of us. For that, we gain a little more understanding,” said fellow attendee, KiKi Lane.

St. Pete Pride is the premier event of its kind in Florida and one of the largest in the southeast.

About 250,000 people are expected, all coming together to celebrate love, equality, and acceptance.

“Even though I’m not a member of the LGBT community, I have a lot of friends that are and I’m always looking to celebrate what makes us unique,” said LGBTQ ally, Keturah Allyson.

Friday night's kick-off events got things going early, including the Transtastic pre-parade party at the Flying Boat Brewery. There was also a free concert at North Straub Park.

“This is a community-wide event for allies and LGBT folks. Let's come out and have some fun and celebrate St. Pete,” said Pride board member Nathan Bruemmer.

For a full schedule of events, and a map of traffic alterations during pride, visit stpetepride.com or click here.