The City of Wilton Manors Stonewall Pride Parade and Street Festival (2024): “Keenly Alive and Exuberant”
This past Saturday, I returned to the the “Second-Gayest City” in the U.S. to photograph the newly named City of Wilton Manors Stonewall Pride Parade and Street Festival. The annual event typically attracts 50,000 spectators and has a direct economic impact of more than $6 million dollars for the City of Wilton Manors. Stonewall Pride celebrates the historic Stonewall Riots which took place on June 28, 1969, in New York City, launching the LGBT+ human rights movement.
The vibrant parade and festival is now officially titled “The City of Wilton Manors Stonewall Pride Parade and Street Festival.” After a unanimous vote given in favor by the city’s commissioners, Wilton Manors has become the exclusive title sponsor of Stonewall Pride. “This is an historic year for Stonewall Pride,” stated Stonewall CEO Jeff Sterling. “2024 is proof that our LGBTQ+ community needs allies including business, political, nonprofit, really everyone to stand up and show their support.”
Wilton Manors was laid out in 1925 by Edward John “Ned” Willingham, a land developer from Georgia, as an upscale residential community. It was recognized as a Village in 1947 and incorporated as a City in 1953. Today, the main business district of the City is centered around the internationally known Wilton Drive.
There has been a strong gay presence on the City Commission since the late 1980s when the City of Wilton Manors had the distinction of electing Broward County’s first openly gay elected official in 1988. By the year 2000, the City of Wilton Manors had made history as having the second gay-majority governing body in the United States.
History was again made in November 2018 when Wilton Manors became the first city in Florida with an all-LGBTQ+ City Commission – second only to Palm Springs, California. That year, Wilton Manors was named the “Second Gayest City” in the United States, celebrating a diverse population of approximately 12,000 residents.
Since 2000, people and communities from across the country attend the festival in honor of the Stonewall Riots: a series of violent demonstrations staged by New York City’s gay community on June 27, 1969, after they had grown tired of harassment from the NYPD. “Over the years this event has grown from a locally attended parade to an international festival that brings approximately 50,000 people from all over the state, country, and globe together to celebrate Pride,” said Stonewall CEO Jeffrey Sterling.
Food, music, and over 100 vendors lined the blocks of Wilton Drive, the city’s premier shopping and entertainment destination. The City of Wilton Manors Stonewall Pride Parade and Street Festival also featured seven different performance stages and VIP Lounges. It all led up to the (new in 2024) ‘Glow Night Parade’. General admission tickets are $10 per person if purchased in advance online ($13 day of) and include festival entry at special pre-paid lines at main entrances, access to the street festival (which kicked off at 3pm this year), and of course entry to the parade.
“This event is about celebrating and supporting the LGBTQ+ community locally and across the globe,” said Mayor Scott Newton “We couldn’t be prouder to be a safe space for the more than 50,000 people who come together from all across the country and world to celebrate love, acceptance, and inclusion.”
Merriam-Webster defines the word “gay” as “of, relating to, or characterized by sexual or romantic attraction to people of one’s same sex”. But read further and you’ll also find the word defined as “keenly alive and exuberant: having or inducing high spirits”, “happily excited” and “brilliant in color”. Those supplemental definitions are what makes this festival one of my favorites to attend and photograph. I mean, you’re not gonna find happier, more exuberant, more colorful or prouder people anywhere else.
And for the second year in a row (and fourth time overall), I was contracted by the good folks at HOTspots! Events as one of the event’s official photographers. This time, accompanied by another wonderful photographer, “mi novia” Serena. And unlike last year, no rain showers. So, yeah, it was a good day.
The Stonewall Pride Parade started an hour later this year (8pm) and went “BRIGHT!” with a stream of illuminated pride floats, vehicles and walking groups. But as usual (and unreservedly true to Merriam-Webster’s definition) it was “keenly alive and exuberant”. Enjoy the photographs…
THE PARADE
Scott Newton, Mayor of Wilton Manors
These are just some of the nearly 400 photographs in the album –
Check out the FULL GALLERY HERE
Stonewall Pride, Inc is part of HOTspots! Happening Out, which represents a dynamic alliance of 501(c)nonprofit organizations united in their commitment to enhancing the well-being of South Florida’s LGBTQ+ community and its allies.All photographs taken with the Sony A7RV using just the Sony FE 35mm F1.4 G Master lens. For the twilight parade, I pulled out the pocket-sized Sony HVL-F20M External Flash but mostly used my handy Lume Cube Panel GO Bi-Color LED Light Panel (hand-held) to light most of the shots.
