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Palm Springs Gay Pride Parade 2008 |
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Written by Pat Krause
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Tuesday, 04 November 2008 |
 Palm Springs, Ca
Sunday Nov. 2, 2008
Story and photos by Pat Krause
The Annual Palm Springs Gay Pride Parade was held on Sunday Nov. 2, 2008. Unlike the Golf Cart Parade whose theme is mostly business oriented, this parades only theme is Pride, pride in being who you are. Walkers dressed in the costumes of their charity or of the group they belonged to. Participants enjoyed the colorful and creative costumes.
 Both gays and straights take part in this parade each year. Also each
year businesses, politician, hotels, drag queens, motorcycle groups and
local bands walk and thrill the crowd. Some 60,000 people lined the
streets on Palm Canyon Drive. Many participants dressed in magnificent
costumes and today they even dressing up their dogs for this event. The
parade is the highlight of Gay Pride Weekend in Palm Springs.
Celebrities are part of the parade each year. Some of the celebrities
also held personal events in different venues over the past week.
Leslie Jordan was at the Annenberg Theatre at the Palm Springs Art
Museum and Lorna Luft performed at the HRC Palm Springs Garden Party.
Actor George Takei and Brad Altman were guest celebrities for the
Parade. Walkers handed out beads and candy as they went thru the crowds.
 A motorcycle group started the parade and the unique sound of their
Harleys could be heard for blocks. The Palm Springs High School Band
plays every year in the parade and a parade is not a parade without at
lease one band. Even the Gay Caballeros sang as they walked. Some of
the groups were very large while a few were very small yet carried a
large banner. The street was barricaded and police were on every corner
tp kept the crowds back from the parade.
 Many vintage cars took part in this years parade and, of course, they
were fun to see. Many of these old cars brought back memories of times
past. The drag queens costumes were very colorful. One person wore
boots with 3 inch wedges to make him taller. I am sure that it must
have been hard to walk in those shoes for several hours.
 The parade lasted for more than an hour from start to finish. The
crowds lined Palm Canyon Drive the entire way. Mothers with children,
men with dogs and people of all ages brought chairs, walked or sat on
the curbs. Businesses along the street did a huge business with the
many people waiting to see the parade. Each year this event gets bigger
and better.
For more great Pat Krause photos of this year’s Palm Springs Gay Pride Parade, click here.
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Pat Krause |
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