Saturday, June 26, 2010

Bangkok "Pride" - 2003

Costumed participants in Bangkok, November 2003

June is home to most Pride celebrations in the USA, and in places like San Francisco it's become Pride month (big surprise). This weekend is the highlight, featuring the huge outdoor festival and the 40th Pride parade tomorrow.


The parade normally draws somewhere between 350,000 and 500,000 people (depending on which guesstimate source you choose to believe) along the mile and three quarters of Market Street the parade moves through. Over 200 registered contingents will participate, and if you have the stamina to stand and watch the entire thing you'll be on your feet for at least three hours before the last one passes by.

Other parts of the world observe it in different ways - but diversity is what it's all about, anyway. Bangkok holds a parade late in the Fall that I've only seen once, in 2003. I'll share more about that tomorrow, but today I'm off to the festivities. Here are a couple of images from that evening in Silom.

More Bangkok revelers, 2003

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