ABC7 celebrates the 51st Annual Chicago Pride Parade with a two-hour, live parade broadcast, Sunday, June 26, from 12:00-2:00 p.m. Tanja Babich, Hosea Sanders and Jason Knowles host the Chicago Pride Parade broadcast with Knowles capturing all of the action live from the street. LGBTQ+ community advocates join the festivities, including Cody LaGrow (Emmy® Award-winning journalist), Kim Hunt (LGBT Hall of Fame and Senior Director of AIDS Initiative Chicago), and Joel Hall (LGBT Hall of Fame and Chicago dance legend).
The parade will also exclusively stream on ABC 7’s Connected TV Apps on Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Apple TV, Roku and ABC News Live on Hulu.
Scheduled to ride on the ABC7 Chicago float this year are ABC7’s very own Cheryl Burton, Ryan Chiaverini, Roz Varon, Sarah Schulte and Liz Nagy.
“ABC7 has supported Pride for almost two decades, and we are thrilled to continue that commitment with a two-hour live parade broadcast,” said John Idler, President and General Manager of ABC7 Chicago. “As we celebrate cultural inclusion and acceptance, we applaud the vibrant LGBTQ+ community that is so important to our city.”
The 51st Annual Pride Parade kicks off in Uptown at Montrose Avenue and North Broadway. The route winds through Northside neighborhoods and ends at Diversey Parkway and Sheridan in Lincoln Park. The parade features colorful floats, decorated vehicles, musical talent, walking contingents and local government officials all in support of the LGBTQ+ community. This will be the first time in two years the Chicago Pride Parade takes place since the COVID-19 pandemic.
This year’s parade honors Richard Pfeiffer, the coordinator of Chicago Pride Parade since 1974 and beloved member of Chicago’s Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame. Pfeiffer died on Oct. 6, 2019, but left a lasting legacy in the Chicago LGBTQ+ community. Under his direction, the Pride Parade became one of the most-celebrated events in Chicago, drawing crowds of 30-40 people deep on streets and over 1 million spectators. Pfeiffer attended Chicago’s very first Pride Parade and held his title as parade coordinator through the 50th anniversary.
The parade also plans to honor Gary G. Chichester, among other notable LGBTQ+ community pioneers. Chichester provided over 30 years of service to the community, co-founding the Chicago Gay Alliance and creating Chicago’s first gay and lesbian community center. Chichester’s dedication to representation led him to cultivate the very first gay and lesbian Chicago Pride Parade in 1970.
The annual celebration commemorates the Stonewall Riots, which occurred June 27, 1969, in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of New York City. Chicago’s Pride Parade takes place the same weekend in the summer, replacing what was once a fight for civil rights with dazzling displays of hope and perseverance.
About Post Author
