Pride Parade sweeps the streets of Atlanta

Similng+faces+covered+the+streets+of+dowtown+Atlanta+during+the+parade.%7C+Photo%3A+Amber+Barton

Similng faces covered the streets of dowtown Atlanta during the parade.| Photo: Amber Barton

Amber Barton, Staff Writer

The Atlanta Pride Parade returned for the forty-eighth time this Sunday with hundreds of excited attendees. The parade is a celebration of the LGBTQ+ community where members and allies may come together to show their support for the cause. Having a strong affinity for Atlanta’s culture, many citizens of Roswell participate in the parade, including students from Roswell High School.

“It was so much fun!” says sophomore Emma Bullman, “I loved it!”  The parade is notorious for free merchandise, and even without the handouts from the participants, attendees can find vendors of pride merchandise every step of the way. “My favorite thing I got from the parade was three wooden hearts,” Emma says. “They are painted and say ‘love equals hope’”.

Every year brings in new people coming to see the parade in Atlanta for the first time. “I was surprised to see that there were so many people, especially ones who brought their dogs!” sophomore Caroline Whaley says, “Atlanta has a lot of allies, too. The parade consists of all types of sponsors, from companies like InterContinental Hotels Group and Coca-Cola to small businesses like Sips n Strokes and Urban Tree Cidery. The Georgia Aquarium’s float was my favorite,” says Caroline. “It had a dancing lizard and scuba diver!”

Drag queens from all over flooded to the parade to strut their stuff down the streets. | Photo: Amber Barton

For those who aren’t able to attend, the parade is televised on 11alive.com each year.
“I feel bad for people who couldn’t go,” Caroline says, “it

was so much fun to be able to interact with like-minded people, and I’ll definitely be going next year!”

Student Amber Barton shows off her mini rainbow flag while the parade passed by. |Photo: Amber Barton