PORTLAND, Ore. — Thousands of people marched downtown in the Portland Pride Parade on Sunday, waving rainbow flags to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community. The event was back in person for the first time since 2019.
"Energy is super high this year," said Debra Porta, executive director of Pride Northwest, the nonprofit that runs the event.
Floats, dancers and marching bands made their way from the North Park Blocks to Tom McCall Waterfront Park, on day two of the Portland Pride festival.
"The festival is fantastic. People love the festival. The parade – is the thing," said Porta.
People lined the streets waving rainbow flags as they waved to the colorfully dressed people passing by. You can watch the entire parade on KGW's YouTube channel.
"It's loud, it's rambunctious. The energy is super high. It's kind of hard to describe until you experience it, actually."
The parade is an important event for the LGBTQ+ community, because queer people there can feel seen, Porta said.
"It's about our visibility. Our visibility to each other so we know that we're not alone, there are other people like us," Porta said. "And visibility to the larger community to make sure that we are not left out."
A couple named Billy and Isis drove down from Seattle with their kids for the parade.
"We want to show support to our community here, the Pride community," said Billy.
"It was important for our kids to be a part of that. We're teaching that it's okay to be who you are," Isis added.