ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Hundreds of thousands of people will be filling the streets of St. Petersburg this weekend to celebrate in a city that promotes pride and inclusion. And with any big event, city leaders and organizers are taking steps to make sure the festivities remain safe for everyone.

  • Safety a top priority during St. Pete Pride Fest
  • Events start Friday night and go through Sunday
  • For a full list of events, click here

Mayor Kriseman said the city has worked with the police department for months preparing for this weekend. Kriseman said there will be hundreds of officers out at the events this weekend making sure everyone is safe. 

The first event kicks off tonight in North Straub Park with a concert hosted by Rupaul Drag Race Queen Coco Montrese. The largest event is Saturday. The festivities kick off at 2 p.m. and the Pride Parade starts at 7 p.m.  The parade will work its way down Bayshore Drive in downtown St. Pete for the second year. 

Something new this year is a family friendly area put on by Great Explorations Children's Museum and Suntrust. There will also be an artist zone with local muralists doing live art installations. 

The festivities will end Saturday with fireworks at 9:45 p.m. 

On Sunday, the St. Pete Pride Festival will take place from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Grand Central District with hundreds of vendors. 

While this weekend is all about celebrating and having fun, St. Pete Pride's executive director says there's more to it.

"Yes, it is a huge party by the LGBT community and the pride party started because of fighting for rights for our community and that's a portion of our events that we never forget," Luke Blankenship explained. "The feeling that you get when you're around 200-thousand people of love and acceptance, it's a unique feeling and it's really hard to explain unless you attend," Blankenship said. 

The concert tonight starts at 7 p.m. For the full list of events, click here