Chicago Pride Parade date, theme revealed

CHICAGO - The Chicago Pride Parade has been set for the last Sunday of June, organizers announced.

The 53rd annual Chicago Pride parade steps off at noon on June 30, when over 1 million people are expected to pack the parade route. The parade starts in the Uptown neighborhood, passes through Lake View and ends in Lincoln Park, according to parade organizer PRIDEChicago.

More information can be found at pridechicago.org.

Organizers also announced Tuesday that this year’s parade theme is "Pride is Power." The theme highlights the role the Chicago Pride Parade has played in creating visibility and advocating for the LGBTQ+ community, organizers wrote.

"We have so much to celebrate in the 55 years since the Stonewall uprisings in New York City, leading to the fight for LGBTQ rights in the United States," parade coordinator Tim Frye said in the announcement. "It’s still very important to remember that there is much more remaining in our fight for equality."

The Human Rights Campaign declared a National State of Emergency for LGBTQ+ Americans in 2023 — the first time in its history — in response to the over 550 anti-LGBTQ+ state bills introduced across the country, organizers said.

More than 150 cities host pride parades worldwide. More than 90 of them are held in the United States. At least 12 parades are held on the last weekend of June each year, marking the uprising at Stonewall, organizers said.

Chicago’s Pride Parade is the oldest in the country, organizers said. The event started as a march on Saturday, June 27, 1970, to mark the anniversary of the Stonewall uprising.