Pride marked today with annual parade

Gathering at Piedmont Park part of Southeast’s largest gay pride event.

Thousands of people are expected to turn out today for the annual parade that caps the Atlanta Pride Festival.

The festival, which is marking its 45th year in Atlanta, is considered the largest gay pride event in the Southeast.

Beginning at 1 p.m., more than 200 floats and other entries will start at McGill Boulevard, to Peachtree Street, to 10th Street and end at Piedmont Park, where entertainment stages, information booths and other activities will be set up.

This year’s event carries more significance for some of those in attendance because it’s the first since this summer’s landmark Supreme Court decision that legalized same-sex marriage. Also, today’s gathering coincides with National Coming Out Day, a day designed to recognize members of the LGBT community.

The nonprofit Atlanta Pride organizes the event, and Coca- Cola, Delta and T-Mobile are among the corporate sponsorships that signal how Pride has grown over the decades from a small march for rights to a three-day festival attracting an array of metro families and visitors. Mayor Kasim Reed, the Atlanta police and fire chiefs and members of the Atlanta Board of Education are among officials expected to take part in today’s parade.

AJC 2014 Rainbow flags line Peachtree Street during last year’s Pride Parade. This year’s parade begins at 1 p.m. today.