Boston Pride Parade, 2023 edition. The parade’s return was organized by Boston Pride for the People, and it was a celebration.
Boston hadn’t hosted a proper Pride Parade since 2019, so this one was highly anticipated. And it delivered. I haven’t been to a Pride Parade in over a decade. In fact, the only parade I’ve attended in recent years is the annual Halloween Parade that takes place in Woburn each year on the Sunday before Halloween. That parade is a blast for sure. But Pride is on a different level.
We turned it into a family affair on Saturday, heading into Boston early and snagging parking on Washington street, just blocks from Boston Common. The walk to the Common was peppered with Pride attendees and vendors hawking flags of all colors and styles. We laughed at one flag that mashed-up Pride, patriotism, and pot: an American flag, with pride colors, festooned with marijuana leaves.
We picked a spot close to the corner of Boylston St. and Charles St., which turned out to be the right move. It put is in prime position to watch the parade as it rounded Boylston St. and headed down Charles, so we got the head-on angle as well as the side view. I tried my best to capture that in the pics you’ll see below. Apologies that they’re not pro-level. I’m just a DJ with an iPhone.
GALLERY: Boston Pride Parade 2023
If the photos lack in quality, I hope they at least capture the spirit of the day. It’s impossible to attend a Pride Parade and not feel hope and joy on an elevated level. People are smiling and singing and dancing and complimenting each other. Pride, of course, is a celebration of the LGBTQ+ community. But it’s also a demonstration of what human beings can be when we’re at our best.
