Click above for the pics of the 2012 Capital Pride Parade. Above: 17th Street NW immediately after the parade had passed by. (Luis Gomez Photos)
From Luis Gomez. Catch his photos at One Photograph A Day. Follow him on Twitter @LuisGomezPhotos.
Check out the photos of the 2012 Capital Pride Parade on Borderstan’s Flickr page.
Did you have a good time at the LGBT Capital Pride Parade on Saturday? We’ve got 263 photos — so maybe you’re in one of them — even though there were tens-of-thousands of spectators lining the streets along the way.
The 2012 Capital Pride Parade on Saturday lasted about two hours, kicking off at 4:30 pm west of Dupont Circle, winding its way through the Dupont and Logan neighborhoods, including Dupont Circle, 17th, P and 14th Streets NW. Monte Durham, from TLC’s “Say Yes to the Dress Atlanta,” was the Grand Marshall of this year’s parade.
But, as tradition demands, Dykes on Bikes kicked off the parade. And there were plenty of elected officials and political candidates in the parade as well, and lots of local businesses (large and small) as well as a plethora of organizations, local and national, not to mention sports teams — and live music to boot. And how could we forget the DC Cowboys? It was their final appearance in the annual parade, as the group officially disbanded after Sunday’s performance at the Pride Festival.
Parade Winners
Parade organizers said 180 different organizations and businesses with almost 4,000 participants were in this year’s Capital Pride Parade. At the reviewing stand in front of Whole Foods on P Street, the judges selected the following 10 winners from among the parade contingents:
- The Lady Gaga Award for Best Incorporation of Theme (Who best incorporates the theme with great emotional content and outstanding presentation): ACLU of the Nation’s Capital
- The Tina Turner Award for Best Decorated Float (Best float or decorated vehicle): Ziegfeld/Secrets
- The Nancy Sinatra Award for Best Marching Contingent (Best walking or marching, no float or vehicles): La Clinica
- The Dame Edna Award for Best Visiting Contingent (Best group from outside the DC Area): Big Apple Corps
- The Liberace Award for the Most Outrageous (The unexpected, over the top, brilliant, unique): Tim Coburn Photography
- The New Kids on the Block Award for the Best New Contingent (The best new contingents to Capital Pride Parade): Thai Tanic restaurant
- The Elizabeth Taylor Award for the Best Non-Profit Contingent (The best non-profit group contingent): SMYAL (Sexual Minority Youth Assistance League)
- The Village People Award for the Small Group Contingent (The best small group contingent for those under 15 people): AtlasVet
- The Harvey Milk Award for the Public Sector Contingent (The best public sector group): Peace Corps
- Judges’ Award (Awarded at the Judges’ discretion, for crowd engagement overall excellence): PFLAG (Parents, Friends & Families of Lesbians and Gays)
See you next year at the 2013 Capital Pride Parade!
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A neighborhood event: Get ready for the Capital Pride 2012 Parade. (Luis Gomez Photos, 2011 Parade)
From Rachel Nania. Check out her blog, Sear, Simmer & Stir. Follow Nania on Twitter @rnania, email her at rachel[AT]borderstan.com.
It’s that time again! The annual Capital Pride Parade is just days away. Are you ready?
On Saturday, June 9, grab your friends, your camera and your beads and meet us in Dupont and Logan Circles to catch a glimpse of the city’s best parade.
Kickoff is at 4:30 pm on 22nd and P Streets; the parade will wind through Dupont Circle and come down 17th and P Streets through Logan Circle, then down 14th Street NW to Thomas Circle. (In case you missed it, see Where is DC’s Gay Neighborhood in 2012? The Winner is…)
Parade participants and supporters will provide plenty of entertainment, but just in case you need more, a stage in front of the P Street Whole Foods will rock with live music and DJs. Additionally, Monte Durham, from TLC’s “Say Yes to the Dress Atlanta,” will lead the parade as Grand Marshal.
Saturday's Capital Pride Parade route: Click for a larger image. (Courtesy Capital Pride 2012)
For more information on the parade and contingent information, visit the Capital Pride Parade website.
Borderstan.com is proud to be among the sponsors of Capital Pride 2012. Find an entire list of this year’s events, as well as details on each event, on Capital Pride’s website calendar.
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Capital Pride 2010: How can you start a Pride Parade without Dykes on Bikes? Last year’s contingent leaders are shown at 17th and R Streets NW. (Luis Gomez Photos)
Click for the map of the 2011 Capital Pride Parade this Saturday, June 11. (Image courtesy Captial Pride)
What can be more pride-tastic than the rainbow flags and bunting that adorn many of the storefronts along 17th Street? For seasoned Borderstanis, this is probably a rhetorical question; for recent transplants, let us tell you — the Capital Pride Parade!
The parade is coming up this Saturday, June 11 and begins at Dupont Circle at 5:30 pm. Pre-Parade entertainment begins at 3 pm in front of the judges’ stand at Whole Foods on the 1400 block of P Street NW. This year’s parade marshall is The Trevor Project, which is dedicated to suicide prevention among LGBT youth.
LGBT Pride celebrations have grown exponentially since their earlier days in the 70’s and 80’s. From simple street festivals and parades, Pride celebrations have grown to Drag kickball, speakers, idol and 12 days of activities, seminars, special events and fundraisers, concluding with this year’s festival on Sunday.
2010 Capital Pride: 17th Street between R and P is still one of the most popular places to view the Pride Parade. (Luis Gomez Photos)
Yet, despite the variety of events, the parade remains the highlight for many if not most people in the LGBT community — and their friends and neighbors who live in historically gay neighborhoods. (Check out Luis’ photos from the 2010 parade.)
Parade Route and Map: The Pride Parade starts west of Dupont Circle on P Street NW, and finishes at Thomas Circle (14th and N NW). From Dupont Circle, the parade heads northeast up New Hampshire Avenue NW, then east on R Street, then south on 17th Street, then east on P Street before heading south on 14th to Thomas Circle.
Look for Borderstan.com in the parade. We’re proud to be among this year’s Capital Pride media sponsors. The Parade is produced with support from Cobalt, Whole Foods and JR.’s Bar & Grill.
2010 Capital Pride weekend decorations on 17th Street NW. Is Dupont Circle and 17th Street NW still the heart of DC’s gay neighborhood? (Luis Gomez Photos)
The Dupont-Logan-U Street area is the center of gay pride events each year, including the parade which runs from Dupont Circle around to Thomas Circle NW. The historically gay neighborhood in DC was, for decades, Dupont Circle–although not so much anymore.
Is the Logan Circle area the new Dupont Circle when it comes to all things gay? Is 17th Street NW still the city’s gay Main Street? After all, the city did just co-name a stretch of 17th for gay activist Frank Kameny on Thursday.
The gay neighborhood certainly seems to move a little farther east each year–and south and north as well. One might ask, “Does DC still have a single ‘gay neighborhood?’ ” Take the poll below: Where is DC’s gay neighborhood in 2010?
<br /> <a href=”http://polldaddy.com/poll/3330127/”>Where’s the DC gay neighborhood in 2010?</a></p> <p><span style=”font:9px;”>(<a href=”http://www.polldaddy.com”>polls</a>)</span><br />
Find out where Pride 2010 events are occurring in the Dupont-Logan area this weekend.
The theme of this year’s pride celebration is “You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet” and we will have post-parade photos on Sunday to see if the participants back up the theme. Borderstan has a separate listing, courtesy of Capital Pride 2010, of events in Borderstan (or very close by).
Get the full listing of weekend events at Capital Pride. Also, MetroWeekly has a very nice series of article on Pride in its Pride Guide section as well as a link to the parade route map. The parade kicks off at 6:30 pm on Saturday.
The list is below the fold.
Level One/Cobalt at 17th & R NW is decked out for Pride weekend. (Photo: Luis Gomez.)
The Capital Pride Festival kicks off tomorrow and runs through Sunday. Full listing of events at Capital Pride’s Web site (links in Flash at top of page), including Saturday parade and Sunday festival maps. Also, see RWDC: MTV Crews Shooting at Pride Events this Weekend.
