ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The 17th annual St. Petersburg Pride festival took over downtown this weekend in record numbers.
- Organizers: Record numbers turned out for trans pride march
- They'll already start planning next year's Pride in coming weeks
- RELATED:
"We saw record numbers at our trans pride march this year," said Luke Blankenship, executive director of St. Pete Pride.
The three-day event featured a parade with more than 2,000 people showing off their colors on Bayshore Drive.
"We are enjoying it a lot," attendee Heather McKay said as she held her pet lizard, Oscar, which was wearing a rainbow-colored tutu. "There's a lot of turnout already, and I think everyone is trying to beat the heat."
"It's amazing coming out every single year," Tyler Livings said. "It’s such a wonderful turnout, and we love the fact that St. Pete is so open to the community and open to everyone's values and beliefs."
St. Petersburg Police reported only two arrests for drunken misconduct Saturday. Considering the number of people, organizers said that was a success.
"I like to say that this is the safest place in Tampa Bay when our events are going on," Blankenship said.
Organizers said they'll start planning Pride's 2020 event in the coming weeks.