With approximately 12 percent of attendees being tourists, that includes more than 14,000 hotel night bookings, St. Pete Pride, the nonprofit organization that produces the event. Parade weekend visitors spend more than $11 million, and the total economic impact is more than $22.3 million for Pinellas County, according to an independent report prepared in 2016 for St. That makes the carnival-like event the biggest pride parade in Florida and one of the largest in the country.įor this year’s event, crowds are expected to equal 2018, with a new post-parade concert and fireworks, to draw more attendees. In 2018, the parade participants and crowds along the city’s Bayshore Drive swelled to about 200,000. Pete Pride Parade, the centerpiece of a packed weekend of events June 21-23, with preliminary events June 19 and June 20, celebrating the LGBTQ+ community.īeyond the colors, beads, sequins and feathers, the signature parade is an economic engine for the city and its tourism industry, as well as a long-lasting asset of the city’s culture to be celebrated.Ĭonsider this: In 2003, about 10,000 people turned out for St. A sea of people waving rainbow flags will again take over the waterfront for the 17th annual St.