Source: Ben Tavener
Ever since 1997, the city of São Paulo in Brazil has been host to the São Paulo LGBT Pride Parade, which is an annual gay pride parade organized by the LGBT community. The parade happens in the middle of the city at Avenida Paulista. The Pride Parade for this year was extremely successful, here are 10 things that you probably did not know about Sao Paulo’s Gay Pride Parade.
1. The event’s minor details
It is evident that the event was conducted in Sao Paulo in May 2016. However, it is important to know the minor details like the address of the event, the meeting point, the meeting time, schedule, events, celebrities, and other such information that can help understand the intensity of the event.
2. The significance of the date
The parade is not conducted on any random date in the month of May or August. The date for the parade annually is the Sunday after the annual holiday of Corpus Christi. In 2016, the event was conducted on May 29, the Sunday after the Corpus Christi holiday. It was also a celebration of 20 years of LGBT Pride.
3. The meeting point
The historical Museum of Modern Art of Sao Paulo was the meeting point for the Sao Paulo Gay Pride Parade. Even though the event is set for noon, it takes around 2-3 hours for people to assemble at the museum. Until 2-3PM, warm up events take place to keep the crowds engaged.
4. The attendance
Source: Ben Tavener
The parade had participants who wore dressed for the occasion in carnival outfits. All of them walked the city as loud music accompanied them on their journey. The event drew huge crowds, much to the surprise of the local authorities. Sao Paulo Gay Pride Parade, one among the most populous events after pride parades in San Francisco and New York.
5. About the march
The march, being the main event, was covered the most by the press. Over a hundred thousand people were on the sidelines along the parade’s route observing the participants. Like the 15th iteration, the 20th was the biggest gay pride march ever. Brazil’s tourism has benefited a lot from the event.
6. Parade’s timings
The participants in the parade covered 2.6 miles in distance from Avenida Paulista. The route takes the participants along Rua da Consolacao, to Praça Rooselvelt, where the event eventually ends. The event post warm up started at around 2 – 3 PM and ended at around 10 PM.
7. Security
As the event attracted a highly charged and energetic crowd of millions, the state had deployed a large number of police officers and arranged ambulances, hospital camps with 80 beds, nurses, and doctors on standby. The elaborate security on deck ensured that the event took place peacefully.
8. Music from Trio Eletricos
In likeness to the previous 2015 Pride Parade, around 25 Trio Eletricos were keeping the participants engaged with their live music and the voice. The volunteers represented various organizations, NGOs, unions, and the Brazilian government. It was a great source of entertainment for the crowd.
9. Support from State
State has always supported the Gay Pride Parade at Sao Paulo. The federal government, the government of Sao Paulo, and the cities politicians, who were at the event in the heat for the LGBT community, openly supported the 2016 Sao Paulo Gay Pride Parade.
10. Slogans
The interesting part of every iteration of the Gay Pride Parade is the slogan. The slogan symbolizes the current situation of the LGBT community, their goals, and their direction for progression. The 2013 slogan, “Back to the closet, never again! Union and awareness in the fight against homophobia” was retained.
Information
- Date: Sunday, May 29, 2016
- Address: Museum of Modern Art of Sao Paulo, Av. Pedro Álvares Cabral, s/n°, São Paulo – SP, 04094-000, Brazil
- Meeting Time: 12 Noon
- Schedule: 9AM to 3PM
- Route followed: Avenida Paulista to Praça Rooselvelt via Rua da Consolacao
- Attendance: A 400% increase in attendance from 2003-2013, with 2016 alluring over 5-6 million people making it the biggest ever.
- Revenue: In 2011, 2.5 million people participated. Brazil tourism reported US$ 175 million in profits. In 2016, 5-6 million people participated, profits estimated are huge.
- Security arrangement: 2,000 police officers, 30 equipped ambulances, 3 hospital camps
- Governments standpoint: Supportive
The event registered on the Record books in 2006 when it was awarded as the title of the biggest pride parade of the world. It retained the title again with 2016’s Gay Pride Parade.
Have a good trip and travel!
