SAN DIEGO — San Diego's Pride Parade is the iconic event of the celebration, and this year's will be full of first-times and anniversaries.
A look back
We took a quick tour through Hillcrest, retracing the parade route and highlighting some of the historic and main spots the floats will pass by.
The flagpole, at the intersection of University Avenue and Normal Street, is the starting point for the parade.
"Hillcrest has been the home and heart of the LGBTQ community for several decades," said Fernando Z. Lopez, Executive Director of San Diego Pride. "The parade has been starting here since 1994, when it moved here. And this is actually the ten-year anniversary of when the pride flag was erected."
And that's just one nugget making this year's Pride unique. Lopez said this is also the 10th anniversary of the naming of Harvey Milk Street. There's also several firsts this year.
"The rainbow crosswalk went up a couple years ago," Lopez pointed out. "2020 would've been the first time to cross it with the Pride parade, but it'll be this year so we're looking forward to that."
Pride that's iconic
And as any San Diegan knows, there's no shortage of pride symbols and history throughout Hillcrest:
- The rainbow-colored fire hydrants
- The banners showing LGBTQ+ Hollywood icons
- Perennial rainbow flags flying high
- LGBTQ+ bars and spaces like Alibi, which has been here since the 1930s.
CBS 8 Archives: San Diego Pride
The CBS 8 archives have video showing Hillcrest decades ago.
In 1978, Hillcrest was a baby "gay-borhood." Video shows the corner of Fifth Avenue and University's done some growing up, as storefronts changed through the decades.
One constant: The big red Hillcrest sign, which still hangs proudly today.
"Hillcrest is really an LGBTQ city inside a city," Lopez said. "You can't go to an LGBTQ neighborhood quite like Hillcrest anywhere else in the country."
In 1994, video from the archives show Hillcrest taking shape into the neighborhood we know today. One shot of video from the corner of University and Sixth Avenue shows that area a bit closer in appearance to what we see now.
It's at that corner where the parade will turn south, heading toward Balboa Park.
A a mile-and-a-half later, in the heart of Balboa Park just off Sixth Avenue, you'll find performances, drinks and food all the way up until 3 p.m., on Pride Saturday.
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