Friday, May 2, 2008 | 2:14 p.m.
Scores of major cities across the U.S. and around the world host gay pride parades and festivals each year. Leave it to Las Vegas to find a way to stand out from the pack: We hold our parade after dark, with brightly lit floats, and parade marchers and watchers carrying flashlights and other things that glow in the dark.
The 10th annual Las Vegas Gay Pride Parade steps off at 8 p.m. tonight (Friday, May 2) from 4th Street and Bridger and heads north along 4th to Ogden Avenue, near the Fremont Street Experience. Assemblyman David Parks of District 41 is the parade Grand Marshal; Mayor Oscar Goodman will walk the parade route with the Las Vegas Employer/Employee Alliance. Organizations and individuals can register to participate in the parade on site.
It makes sense for Las Vegas to hold a nighttime parade -- this is, after all, a round-the-clock city. But there's a practical reason, too." It just gets so hot here in Las Vegas," says Vegas Pride vice president Bob Napierala, noting that, while most cities have their parades and festivals in June and the summer months, Vegas books it for early May in hopes of keeping paradegoers cool.
The parade is followed by an after-party (21 and over) at the FreeZone club in the "Fruit Loop"; and Saturday features an all-day 25th anniversary Pride Festival from noon to 10 p.m. (including a 3 p.m. relationship commitment ceremony) at the Clark County Amphitheatre at 500 South Grand Central Parkway. Admission is $10 for adults, $6 for youth, children free. More information on the parade and festival is here.
In addition to being a fun, colorful celebration, the mission of the Las Vegas Gay Pride Parade is "to educate the community by invoking, promoting, and celebrating lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender pride."
Tonight's parade coincides with another nighttime celebration downtown: First Friday, the city's monthly celebration of the arts, carries on from 6 to 10 p.m. More information here.
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