Palm Springs celebrates diversity and unity with vibrant Pride Parade

On a picture-perfect day in Palm Springs, the energy was electric Sunday as thousands of locals and visitors filled Palm Canyon Drive to celebrate Pride and all things LGBTQ+ in the Coachella Valley.

From local businesses and organizations to notable politicians and drag queens, every float, car, and costume dazzled in all its vibrant, sparkling, technicolor glory, reflecting the joy and diversity of the community.

“This is the amazing get together of a community all in celebration of unity and diversity and getting along as one,” said Palm Springs Mayor Jeffrey Bernstein as he rode in a convertable down Palm Canyon Drive. “It’s really a very special time to be in Palm Springs.”

In conversations with attendees across the mile-long parade route, one word echoed repeatedly — “community.” With Palm Springs Pride 2024’s theme being “Be You,” it’s not hard to see why.

The “Be You” theme for 2024 celebrates individuality, authenticity, and self-expression. It encourages everyone — LGBTQ+ individuals, allies, and all participants—to embrace their true selves and take pride in who they are. That is why hundreds of thousands of people flock here each year for the event.

Aaron Allen Marner, a mixed-media artist known for creating thought-provoking works that often explore themes of identity, self-expression, and LGBTQ+ representation, was chosen as the grand marshal this year.

A prominent local advocate, his selection celebrates his advocacy and his role in creating spaces where people feel safe to express their true selves, aligning perfectly with this year’s “Be You” theme.

“It’s an honor,” he said while preparing to travel along the parade route. “I think it’s just a very cool thing to be recognized as an artist, first of all, but just as a person who’s relatively new to the community. It’s a very humbling thing. So I’m just gonna have fun.”

For many locals, like Elwin Agtang, social media manager for The Gay Desert Guide, Pride is a time to get out and enjoy being who you are, expressing yourself, and having fun with friends.

“It means a celebration with my peers and queers, where it’s a celebration of all of us together having a grand gay ol’ time,” said Agtang.

For others, like Edward Monie, who has lived in Palm Springs for 22 years, it’s a time to give back to the community that has given to him. Monie spent the parade volunteering for the LGBTQ Community Center of the Desert at a viewing party at the Flannery Exchange.

“After many years of living in a closet, Pride means I have some freedom now to express myself and be around other people that make me very comfortable,” said Monie, who volunteers for The Center, DAP Health, and many other local organizations.

Chris Spalding said the parade is a chance to come out and support as an ally to the LGBTQ+ community. Spalding was in town this weekend from Oakland for a wedding of his friends Ray and Phil, who got married Saturday night at The Church of St Paul in the Desert and were involved in the parade.

“It means victory,” said Spalding when asked what Pride means to him. “It means people are finally being acknowledged as equals. And that’s awesome, you know. That’s what the American Dream is supposed to be about. It’s supposed to be people coming together, loving each other, lifting each other up.”

For others, like Lareina Knight, it’s a chance to teach their children about love and acceptance. Knight’s children’s godmother is a married lesbian, and she brought her two young children, Ryleigh and Ryder, to the parade to show their support as a family.

“We’ve been early on trying to teach them about different types of couples and how okay and acceptable it is,” Knight said.  “So we come to keep them in the know that people love who they love, and it doesn’t have to be a man and a woman. It can be different, and it’s okay.”

Tom Oliver, an Eisenhower Medical Center employee who walked alongside their float with his colleagues, said he was most excited about – seeing the youth, especially the high school bands and dance troupes, get involved and support the community.

One of those groups was the Cathedral City High School Ballet Folklórico, a student dance group that performs traditional Mexican folk dances, full of color and spirit as they danced through the parade in their traditional Mexican dresses.

“It’s the celebration of pride,” said their instructor, Gabriel Ruiz, explaining it’s their seventh year participating in the parade. “It’s always a great celebration for the community. So we’re here to support Pride.”

It’s that family atmosphere that draws many to the desert from across the county, including Derrick Dase, who came from Denver with a group of friends.

“This is my first time here. It’s just very laid back. It’s not as crazy as a lot of the Prides. I love the fact that everybody is just so friendly,” said Dase, adding that Pride for him means visibility. “It means people seeing who we are and really seeing us and just having fun and having a great time together. Camaraderie” 

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