Pride Week

What is Pride Week? (New in town.)

Pride Week is the annual celebration of Gay Pride that takes place in SF every year. There is a big parade in SF.

Is it an official holiday here?

It's not technically an "official" holiday, but people do celebrate it like one. In fact, it is a lot like Carnival in Brazil. You would probably like it.

That does sound like fun. When is it?

Pride week is this Sunday, I think. I've lived here for twenty years and I'm afraid to say that I have never been to it.

You can't call yourself a true San Franciscan until you've been to Pride at least once.

I hear there will be a million people in the City this weekend. Definately, a weekend to take public transportation--there will not be parking!

Dumb question, but what exactly goes on at Pride? There is a parade--I know that--but other than that? (Apologies for my ignorance in advance. I know that I should know by now.)

@NightOwl: Wow! Saying that Pride is just a parade is like saying that Mardi Gras is just a bunch of drunk guys throws beads at girls. It is so much more!

Alright, well, enlighten those of us who haven't been.

First of all, everybody dresses up in costumes. There are drag queens and guys who look like they just stepped out of a 1970's Castro documentary and the cast of the Village People a thousande times over.

And is it only for homosexuals or are there Lesbians too?

No, no. It's definately lesbians too. Haven't you heard of Dykes on Bikes?

Hey guys, a picture is worth a thousand words. Here is an SF Gate Photo Gallery from last years parade. Check it out.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/contribute/sn/gallery?plckGalleryID=aba308c3-943e-48e0-a2cc-55015935f9d3

I'm going to go see the parade today. The city was packed yesterday already.

Me and half of Nor Cal are headed over there right now.

Pride was a blast! I won tickets to the Monterey Bay Aquirium, got lots of fake tattoos and stickers and saw lots of naked people!

I espeically liked the Lady Godiva on the motorcycle that was part of the Dykes on Bikes.

Sounds like fun. Went to NYC pride a few years back - it was a blast but it was pretty segregated based on the historically "gay" and "lesbian" neighborhoods. Any good stories?

I am sure that the SF rendition was far more liberal, and involved far more nakedness, than its NYC counterpart...