San Diego (KGTV)- San Diego Pride Festival and Parade are kicking off this weekend. Organizers are expecting increased crowds and temperatures this year.
In order to get prepared, 600 cases of water alone have been ordered for volunteers along. Staff want to make sure volunteers stay hydrated and cool. San Diego Pride shares that everyone in leadership positions have undergone a heat-related illness training. This allows staff to spot anyone who may be having a medical emergency and get them assistance on site.
The San Diego Pride is one of the largest celebrations in the county.
“We often say at San Diego pride that it’s always someones first pride,” says Director of Programs Mark Maddox. He says his very first Pride event was back in 2015.
“Being able to see the community come together and have that opportunity to be here and be myself,” says Maddox. “I volunteered. So my first festival experience was me volunteering.”
Maddox says after nearly a decade San Diego Pride Week has grown significantly.
“Every rental tent that is available in the region comes to us.”
Pride Festival will cover 21 acres of Balboa Park. Organizers say they are expecting more than 30,000 people to attend Saturday and Sunday.
An even larger crowd is expected to live along the streets for the parade with an estimated 250,000 to 300,000 spectators. With over 300 parade entries, organizers say this year’s event will be the larges parade in San Diego Pride Week History.
“Getting to take part in building out this space, this inclusive space, so that someone can celebrate authentically; Live as their true self for the first time out in public is super exciting,” says Maddox. “I see that at the parade, at the festival, just to see that joy in peoples faces, that's what keep me coming back.”
