A participant takes part in the 48th Annual Chicago Pride Parade in Chicago, the United States, June 25, 2017. (Xinhua/Wang Ping)
CHICAGO, June 25 (Xinhua) -- Chicago's famous Boystown neighborhood attracted thousands of people Sunday afternoon to celebrate gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and queer sexual orientations.
Each year a parade flows a 4-kilometer stretch through Chicago's north side, featuring colorful floats, unique costumes, dance music, and more.
While these parades occur nationwide in the United States, Chicago's parade draws crowds from all over the country. Matt Ensign, 19, has been to Pride parades in his home state of Oregon, but this year he celebrated Pride in Chicago for the first time.
"I came out to join the festivities and have a good time. This is my first year in Chicago so this is my first Pride here. I usually celebrate Pride in Portland, but this will probably be the biggest one I've ever experienced since it's such a big city," Ensign told Xinhua.
CJ Jeffries, an East Coast native, drew rainbow flags on herself and others with markers. In the past she celebrated Pride in Providence, Rhode Island and Boston, Massachusetts.
"This is my first Chicago Pride. Coming to the parade is how I celebrate. This is a big celebration," Jeffries said.
Many Chicagoans come back to Boystown year after year, like Katrina Delgrosso, who came to Chicago's Pride parade for the last three years.
"I usually come out here to celebrate being gay and just be happy," Delgrosso told Xinhua.
Many people who celebrate Pride aren't gay but support those who are. One Wisconsin woman named Laurie came to enjoy the festivities and support her cousin Rob who came to celebrate from Rockford, Illinois.
"I go to the parade because it's different," Laurie said. "You don't see many parades like this. People dress up and I just get a kick out of it."
"Here you get to see floats and decorations and music. It's colorful and it means a lot to everybody. It's a day to just be yourself," Rob added.
Chicago celebrates Pride over two weekends. The weekend before the parade is Pridefest, a festival with music, costumes, food, and more celebration. The Pride festival and parade will return to Chicago next summer with more unique floats, costumes, and festivities.
