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Stonewall Pride Parade and Festival Kicks Off in Wilton Manors

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FORT LAUDERDALE (CBSMiami) -- The annual Stonewall Parade and Festival rolled through Wilton Manors Saturday afternoon as part of Gay Pride month.

The colorful chaos that is the Stonewall parade commemorates the June 1969 riots that followed a police raid at the Stonewall Inn, a nightclub in New York's Greenwich Village.

Wilton Manors has hosted the Gay Pride festival for the past 19 years.

Parade-goers say the music, the colors and the dancing are just a few of the reasons the event has lasted so long.

"When they come here, it's a safe space and everyone is being true to themselves," said Tiffany Richard with Equality Florida.

The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence attended the event. They were among the many non-profit organizations that take part in the parade every year.

John Gordon, a volunteer with the organization said, "We're celebrating beautiful life, beautiful people, doesn't matter who you are or where you're from. We're just celebrating love all the way around."

In a city with little more than 12-thousand residents, 35-thousand people were expected to attend.

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