Chicago Pride Parade ranked second most popular in the U.S.
Fri. June 24, 2016 10:04 PM by GoPride.com News Staff
chicago pride parade, 2015
photo credit // eamonn sexton
Pride parade has been held in Chicago for 47 years
Chicago, IL -
The Chicago Pride Parade, which takes place Sunday, is the second most popular Pride parade in the United States, according to Google search trends.
The real estate website Redfin used web search trend data to determine which cities had the most interest in Pride parades. Chicago ranks No. 2 right after San Francisco. Seattle's Pride Parade was No. 3 followed by New York, Minneapolis, San Diego, Boston, Washington, D.C., Houston and Portland, Oregon.
The parade was particularly festive last year as it came just days after the U.S. Supreme Court decision to recognize same-sex marriage nationwide.The parade, which remained in the Lakeview and Uptown neighborhoods, drew an estimated one million celebrants.
This year, the parade has taken on a new importance in the wake of the Orlando nightclub shooting. The parade will kick-off with a tribute to the 49 killed at Pulse nightclub, sponsored by Windy City Times and ChicagoPride.com. Large crowds are expected again this year as Chicagoans plan to show they won't be cowed by threats.
Even before concerns over the Orlando tragedy, parade organizers announced a plan to increase the security presence along the 21-block parade route, nearly doubling the number of off-duty police officers from 90 last year to 160 this year.
"Security is of the utmost importance for the Pride Parade," longtime parade coordinator Richard Pfeiffer told ChicagoPride.com.
At a news conference last week, Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson announced there will be an increased presence of uniformed police officers, including officers on bike, civilian-dressed officers throughout the event and specially trained canines. Johnson stressed there is no evidence of a threat against the LGBT community in Chicago.
The 47th annual Chicago Pride Parade steps off at noon on Sunday from Broadway and Montrose in the Uptown neighborhood. The parade will then travel south on Broadway; then south on Halsted; then east on Belmont; then south on Broadway; then east on Diversey to Cannon Drive.
Related: History of the Chicago Pride Parade
The real estate website Redfin used web search trend data to determine which cities had the most interest in Pride parades. Chicago ranks No. 2 right after San Francisco. Seattle's Pride Parade was No. 3 followed by New York, Minneapolis, San Diego, Boston, Washington, D.C., Houston and Portland, Oregon.
The parade was particularly festive last year as it came just days after the U.S. Supreme Court decision to recognize same-sex marriage nationwide.The parade, which remained in the Lakeview and Uptown neighborhoods, drew an estimated one million celebrants.
This year, the parade has taken on a new importance in the wake of the Orlando nightclub shooting. The parade will kick-off with a tribute to the 49 killed at Pulse nightclub, sponsored by Windy City Times and ChicagoPride.com. Large crowds are expected again this year as Chicagoans plan to show they won't be cowed by threats.
Even before concerns over the Orlando tragedy, parade organizers announced a plan to increase the security presence along the 21-block parade route, nearly doubling the number of off-duty police officers from 90 last year to 160 this year.
"Security is of the utmost importance for the Pride Parade," longtime parade coordinator Richard Pfeiffer told ChicagoPride.com.
At a news conference last week, Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson announced there will be an increased presence of uniformed police officers, including officers on bike, civilian-dressed officers throughout the event and specially trained canines. Johnson stressed there is no evidence of a threat against the LGBT community in Chicago.
The 47th annual Chicago Pride Parade steps off at noon on Sunday from Broadway and Montrose in the Uptown neighborhood. The parade will then travel south on Broadway; then south on Halsted; then east on Belmont; then south on Broadway; then east on Diversey to Cannon Drive.
Related: History of the Chicago Pride Parade