Seattle Pride Parade marchers carry a giant rainbow flag on June 30, 2024. (Photo: Alex Garland)

PHOTO ESSAY | Seattle Pride Parade Celebrates 50 Years of Growth and Activism

Over the past 50 years, Seattle Pride has been expanding, both in attendees and participants. The parade was filled with floats, cars, and walkers representing organizations like Habitat for Humanity, National Park Service, Alaska Airlines, T-Mobile, Starbucks, and others, but several groups in the parade made sure attendees remembered that Pride is a protest.

Published on:

Jul 02, 2024, 9:49 pm

by Alex Garland

Over the past 50 years, Seattle Pride has been expanding, both in attendees and participants. This year, over 300,000 people were expected to attend the parade and festivities at Seattle Center. The parade route was less than a mile, but the thousands of participants meant the parade would take five hours to make it to the end. Led by the Dykes on Bikes, the throaty roar of motorcycles echoed off of downtown buildings as residents stood on balconies or looked out windows as the parade passed them by. The length of the route meant some areas near the stages were packed 15—20 people deep.

The crowd was entertained by drag queens and kings as emcees, Sue Bird and Megan Rapinoe as the parade grand marshals, and our own Managing Editor Rosette Royale as one of the intergenerational grand marshals. The parade was filled with floats, cars, and walkers representing organizations like Habitat for Humanity, National Park Service, Alaska Airlines, T-Mobile, Starbucks, and others, but several groups in the parade made sure attendees remembered that Pride is a protest: They held signs showing their support for Palestine. While the parade was a first for many of the younger generations, this was the 50th parade for some activists who made this dream a reality in 1974.

A drag performer in a sparkling black gown high-fives a child wrapped in a rainbow flag during a Pride parade. The child, wearing a rainbow headband, jumps enthusiastically. A crowd of onlookers, many smiling and clapping, lines the street in the background. Green street signs indicate

One of Seattle Pride Parade's drag queen emcees high-fives a youth before the parade begins on June 30, 2024. (Photo: Alex Garland)

A smiling woman in a red bodysuit and fishnet stockings rides a Harley-Davidson motorcycle during a Pride parade. The street is lined with spectators, many holding rainbow flags and dressed in colorful outfits. Another motorcyclist and parade participants are visible in the background.

Dykes on Bikes show off their skills to parade watchers at the Seattle Pride Parade on June 30, 2024. (Photo: Alex Garland)

A group of protesters march with a large black banner reading

Several groups reminded attendees that Pride is also a protest by walking with banners and signs that showed support for a free Palestine during the Seattle Pride Parade on June 30, 2024. (Photo: Alex Garland)

Seattle sports legends and Grand Marshals Megan Rapinoe (left) and Sue Bird (right) pose and smile at Pride Parade attendees on June 30, 2024. (Photo: Alex Garland)

A person dressed in vibrant traditional Peruvian attire, featuring a red embroidered outfit and a decorative hat, smiles while holding a large Peruvian flag. They march in a Pride parade, with other participants in colorful outfits and rainbow flags visible in the background.

A parade marcher proudly carries a Peruvian flag while wearing traditional attire, celebrating the intersecting aspects of identity, at the Seattle Pride Parade on June 30, 2024. (Photo: Alex Garland)

A diverse group of people sits in bleachers at a Pride event. A smiling older woman wearing a gold crown and a pink outfit stands with a walker, adorned with rainbow decorations and leis. Others around her, including a woman with a colorful headpiece and people wearing rainbow attire, chat and enjoy the festive atmosphere.

Thousands from all walks of life attended the Seattle Pride Parade and celebrations at Seattle Center on June 30, 2024, a stark difference from the roughly 200 who participated in the first Seattle Pride Parade 50 years ago in 1974. (Photo: Alex Garland)

Three young women at a Pride event hold signs advocating for social causes. The first woman, wearing glasses, holds a sign that reads

Seattle Pride Parade spectators carry signs calling for a free Palestine as well as no cops or corporations at Pride, a reminder that Pride is also a protest, on June 30, 2024. (Photo: Alex Garland)

A man with long braids, a sparkly hat, and a silver jacket lounges on the back of a convertible, smiling at the camera. Another man in a pink hat, white sunglasses, and a white shirt with rainbow patches stands beside him, also smiling. The background shows a street with spectators.

South Seattle Emerald Managing Editor Rosette Royale, serving as part of the 2024 Seattle Pride Parade intergenerational grand marshals, poses for a quick photo on June 30, 2024. (Photo: Alex Garland)

A group of people march in a Pride parade holding a large blue and yellow banner that reads

LGBTQIA Ukrainians proudly waving Ukrainian flags alongside Pride flags and carrying signs reminding attendees of the ongoing war in Ukraine at the Seattle Pride Parade on June 30, 2024. (Photo: Alex Garland)

A man in a navy blue work uniform and red hard hat marches with open arms and a smile during a Pride parade. Behind him, a banner reads

The Frederick Simmons Seattle Chapter of the Electrical Workers Minority Caucus (EWMC) hypes up the crowd of Seattle Pride Parade attendees, showing support for labor and LGBTQIA+ movements. (Photo: Alex Garland)

A group of park rangers march in a Pride parade, carrying a banner with a rainbow background that reads

National Park Service in Washington State marchers, many in uniform, proudly wave to attendees at the Seattle Pride Parade on June 30, 2024. National-level department memos from earlier in the year seemed to ban uniformed NPS employees from marching in public events, including Pride; however, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland later clarified the policy, allowing Bureau leaders or designated officials to decide how and when to participate. (Photo: Alex Garland)

A group of people in vibrant traditional Indian attire dance and celebrate during a Pride parade. A person in a colorful sari and a sash leads the group. Participants hold rainbow flags and signs with messages like

A South Asian beauty pageant queen poses for a quick photo at the Seattle Pride Parade on June 30, 2024. Many cultural and ethnic community groups marched in the Pride Parade, celebrating all the intersecting parts of a person's identity. (Photo: Alex Garland)

A woman wearing a blue shirt, rainbow sunglasses, and a colorful feather boa smiles broadly during a Pride parade. She also wears turquoise earrings and is surrounded by a festive, blurred background filled with participants and rainbow colors.

Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal smiles as she walks the parade route at Seattle Pride Parade on June 30, 2024. (Photo: Alex Garland)

A group of people march in a Pride parade holding banners and signs supporting public education. One banner reads

Members of the Washington Education Association carrying signs supporting LGBTQIA+ students as well as public school educators during a year that's seen an increase in bills targeting LGBTQIA+ rights, particularly in regards to trans students, at the Seattle Pride Parade on June 30, 2024. (Photo: Alex Garland)

Three women participate in a Pride parade, joyfully playing drums. The woman in front wears a green top, rainbow earrings, and face paint, while the woman next to her sports a colorful, ruffled outfit with rainbow makeup. They are followed by another woman also playing a drum.

Indigenous parade marchers drum and sing during the Seattle Pride Parade on June 30, 2024. (Photo: Alex Garland)

A group of protesters march in a Pride parade holding a large banner that reads

Seattle Pride Parade marchers call for an end to the genocide in Gaza, a reminder that Pride is also a protest, on June 30, 2024. (Photo: Alex Garland)

Two people look out from a window in a modern building with glass and orange panels. One person waves while the other forms a heart shape with their hands.

Some parade spectators watch and show their support through windows overlooking the route at the Seattle Pride Parade on June 30, 2024. (Photo: Alex Garland)

Alex Garland is a photojournalist and reporter. With a degree in emergency administration and disaster planning from the University of North Texas, Alex spent his early professional career as a GIS analyst for FEMA. Follow him on Twitter.

📸 Featured Image: Seattle Pride Parade marchers carry a giant rainbow flag on June 30, 2024. (Photo: Alex Garland)

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