It is no secret that the pandemic had put a damper on so many favorite Chicago events the last few years, especially the annual Pride Parade. This year though, Pride Parade was back with a vengeance and she slayed.
The Face of Community and Business team headed to Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood to join in on the celebration, enjoying some eye-catching floats and chatting with some amazing parade-goers throughout the afternoon.
The energy was palpable. All around us, everyone was buzzing with electric excitement. After speaking to a few people in the crowd, it was clear that people were mostly thrilled to finally be able to celebrate the incredible LGBTQ community with everyone … in person.
All around us people were dressed in beautiful creative outfits, some donning Pride flags as capes, others wearing body glitter and colorful makeup to celebrate the occasion. We watched as drag queens dominated the floats putting on fabulous performances, dancers shaking their sparkling outfits down Broadway and Halsted, and most importantly, a glowing community of Chicagoans celebrating love.
Many local companies and politicians joined in on the parade passing out beads and beer koozies playing music as they marched along the parade route. Everyone was dancing.
Along the way, we asked several people what brought them out to Pride this year. Some were there supporting their loved ones, others were there to uplift and support the LGBTQ community they are proud members of, and everyone mentioned that they were there for love. We even had one person tell us that they were planning on coming out to their family the same day!
Chicago Pride Parade 2022 was more than a success, it was iconic. We already can’t wait for next year’s parade!