Boston Pride For The People

Celebration and protest during Boston Pride for the People Parade and Festival

About a million people were expected to take part in the festivities

NBC Universal, Inc.

The 1.7-mile route takes a winding path starting from Clarendon Street, turning left on Tremont Street, then another left on Berkeley Street and a right on Boylston before taking Charles back toward the Boston Common. 

About a million people turned out to watch and take part in Saturday's Boston Pride for the People Parade and Festival, an event Mayor Michelle Wu called one of the biggest and best weekends of the year.

More than 300 groups made up of over 10,000 participants marched in the parade.

The 1.7-mile route took a winding path, starting on Clarendon Street in Copley Square, turning left on Tremont Street, left onto Berkeley Street and right on Boylston before taking Charles toward the Boston Common. 

Parade viewers line the streets during the Boston Pride Parade in Boston, Massachusetts, on June 8, 2024. (Photo by Joseph Prezioso / AFP) (Photo by JOSEPH PREZIOSO/AFP via Getty Images)
About a million people were expected to participate in Saturday's Boston Pride for the People Parade. Follow NBC10 Boston on... Instagram: instagram.com/nbc10boston TikTok: tiktok.com/@nbc10boston Facebook: facebook.com/NBC10Boston X: twitter.com/NBC10Boston

Pro-Palestinian protesters temporarily blocked the pride parade route and clashed with police in their continued calls for a ceasefire.

Protesters brought the parade to a dead stop for several minutes before police broke it up, making multiple arrests. The parade went on, and so did the protest.

The parade was stopped during the clash between police and protesters.

On the Boston Common, an all-ages festival was held after the parade, with entertainers, vendors and community organizations. A second event for the over-21 crowd was held at City Hall Plaza, with beer, wine, DJs, drag queens, drag kings, other royalty, pole dancers and more.

Organizers said this year’s theme is a “celebration of the extraordinary resilience of queer people everywhere.” They also called for a ceasefire in Gaza and release of hostages there, while welcoming protestors into their space.

“We really invite people come and observe Pride in a way that aligns for them. Pride started as a protest, we welcome people having their voices heard and we want everyone to know they can observe pride in their own way in our space. We’re committed to creating a space where our community is able to observe with us.” said Adrianna Boulin, president of Boston Pride for the People.

Saturday’s parade was Boston’s second Pride parade since 2019. A hiatus began with COVID-19 but extended through 2022 because the organization that used to run the event, Boston Pride, dissolved in 2021 under criticism that it excluded racial minorities and transgender people.

Boston Pride for the People, the new group formed to plan Boston’s parade, came together in 2022 to create a more inclusive, less corporate festival, according to planners.

The parade is one of the oldest Pride events in the country.

Hundreds of people kicking off Pride weekend in Boston with the annual dyke march in the Back Bay. It’s an opportunity for the LGBTQ+ community and their allies to come together. Follow NBC10 Boston on... Instagram: instagram.com/nbc10boston TikTok: tiktok.com/@nbc10boston Facebook: facebook.com/NBC10Boston X: twitter.com/NBC10Boston
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