Denver Pride Parade to Feature New Name and Route

DENVER, Colorado — This weekend, approximately 500,000 people are expected to attend Denver Pride, a series of events celebrating the local LGBTQ+ community. This year’s parade, now named “The Vizzy Denver Pride Parade,” will take place on Sunday at 9:30 a.m. along a new route due to ongoing construction.

Kim Salvaggio, the new CEO of the Center on Colfax, said, “We are about the fourth largest in the country” regarding Pride events, following New York, Washington, D.C., and San Francisco. Salvaggio, who started her position just a month ago, emphasized the importance of the event. The parade, festival, and 5K race are organized by the Center on Colfax, a Denver-based nonprofit advocating for the LGBTQ+ community.

This year, the parade will begin at 17th Avenue and Franklin Street and will travel to Lincoln Street. The change in the route is necessary due to the East Colfax Bus Rapid Transit project, which has made walking on Colfax Avenue challenging. “The joke I’ve been telling people,” Salvaggio noted, “is if you’ve been on Colfax recently, you know why there’s a change.”

Despite the new route, Salvaggio pointed out the benefits for local businesses along 17th Avenue, stating, “Businesses along 17th are really excited, and 17th offers more shade, too.” The event is projected to include around 13,000 marchers and 250 participants with floats and other groups.

This year, the Grand Marshals for the parade will be the Transcontinental Pipeline, a nonprofit organization aiding trans individuals in relocating to safer states, and the Colorado Health Network, which serves over 5,000 HIV-positive individuals. Following the parade, the Denver PrideFest will feature more than 250 exhibitors, 30 food vendors, and performances from artists such as Pattie Gonia and Vanessa Vanjie.

The Denver Pride 5K will kick off the weekend’s events on Saturday morning, with check-in starting at 8 a.m. and the race beginning at 9:30 a.m. The 5K route remains unchanged from last year, starting on Lincoln Street and heading toward Cheesman Park.

The festivities will occur at Civic Center Park on both days, starting at 11 a.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. on Sunday. Organizers have increased the “Gayborhood Market” to feature 90 queer-owned businesses after a successful event last year.

Several companies, including PepsiCo and Comcast, are sponsoring this year’s events, though specific sponsorship amounts were not disclosed. As many prepare to celebrate, Kim Salvaggio remarks, “It is a time to stand together in our collective power.”