A new route for the 2018 Pride Festival Parade attracted even more energy from the crowd in its 26th year.
The route down Ouellette Ave. to Riverfront Festival Plaza was swapped for Ottawa St. wrapping up at Lanspeary Park. The crowd lining the streets to cheer on a record setting 72-floats and a much longer route welcomed the change Sunday.
Crowd’s gearing up for this year’s
Parade on Ottawa St.
— Gord Bacon (@baconAM800)Amanda Wraith's daughter participated in the parade — the 35 year old's joined her sister and friends to cheer her on. Wraith tells AM800 News it was her first time at a Pride Week event and she was pleased to see how diverse the crowd was.
"Seeing some of the 60 plus generation out here supporting everybody, that's probably the part that makes me the happiest," she says. "I expected a lot of the younger kids."
The Forest Glade resident loved the energy.
"The drag queens were my favourite by far but the balloons were fabulous as well, everybody going above and beyond", she added.
Party goers joined members of the LGBT+ community for more entertainment, food and drinks at Lanspeary Park following the parade.
And the
is underway.