IDAHO FALLS — Up to 3,000 people turned out for the Idaho Falls Pride Parade and Festival on Saturday, drawing a larger crowd than organizers had projected for the daylong celebration along the Greenbelt.
The parade began just after 10 a.m. as marchers gathered with signs and flags at the Unitarian Universalist Church on East Street before walking to the nearby Greenbelt. From there, the route headed south along the east side of the Snake River, crossed the Broadway bridge, and looped back to the starting point near the roundabout at East Street and Memorial Drive.
The parade fed into the Idaho Falls Pride Festival at the Greenbelt Bandshell on Memorial Drive, which ran until 5 p.m. and featured live music, performances, vendors and family activities. More than 60 vendors set up sunshade canopies along the route, representing everything from voter registration drives to the Society for Creative Anachronism to Christian congregations. Organizers said the event carried a notably strong religious presence this year, with Unitarian, Methodist and other faith groups taking part alongside the rest of the vendor lineup.
Estimating the crowd proved difficult for organizers and security personnel, who described their figures as rough guesses given how steadily people streamed in during the event. Final estimates for the parade and festival combined ranged from 2,000 to 3,000 attendees.
A first aid tent staffed by Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center was on hand throughout the festival, and organizers said they had implemented a formal Community Code of Conduct across all Pride events and spaces to help ensure a safe experience for attendees.
Idaho Falls police reported no incidents throughout the day-long event.
This year's celebration centered on the theme of belonging. In a statement posted to the Idaho Falls Pride website ahead of the event, organizers wrote that the celebration's strength "grows from diversity — from the many roots that ground us, shape us and carry us forward," adding an emphasis on uplifting people of color and standing with the transgender community. "Whether you define yourself by a label, many labels or none at all — you belong," the statement read.
Saturday's parade and festival capped a week of Pride programming across Idaho Falls.
For more information visit idahofallspride.com.



(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In