Blue Skies for the 33rd Long Beach Pride Parade in 2016

The day after the 33rd annual Long Beach Pride Parade, the Long Beach Post summed it up in its headline: a picture perfect day. Blue skies and ocean breezes greeted thousands of spectators and participants along Ocean Boulevard on Sunday, May 22, 2016.

Parade coordinator Tonya Martin told the Post the day began with a first for many in the crowd, a mass wedding right on the route.

This year’s amazing. We have over 140 parade entries and we started off with a mass gay marriage.

Tonya Martin, parade coordinator, to the Long Beach Post

Long Beach City Clerk Maria De La Luz Garcia officiated as five couples married at the same time, and several more couples renewed their vows. The Post captured her joy in a short line.

It’s great to celebrate love and unity in this great city.

Maria De La Luz Garcia, Long Beach City Clerk, to the Long Beach Post

Then came the parade itself. Spectators along the route gave a warm welcome to a long list of participants, led by grand marshal Thelma Houston, the Long Beach native best known for the disco classic “Don’t Leave Me This Way.” She told the Post that although she had performed at the festival several times, this was her first time as a grand marshal, and that it felt great.

The 2016 theme was Solidarity Through Pride, and you could see it in the details: neighbors cheering for neighbors, couples starting married life in front of a crowd of strangers who felt like family, and a hometown star coming back to ride down the boulevard where she grew up.

Every one of the more than 140 entries the Post counted represented a group of neighbors who chose to show up for our community. We are thankful to each of them, and to the Long Beach Post for capturing the day.

Read the full story at Long Beach Post.