San Diego Pride Parade 2024 | Watch the entire replay

San Diego city leaders joined Pride honorees at city hall July 1 to kick off San Diego Pride month.  This year marks the 50th year since the first Pride parade was first held in San Diego.  The theme of this year's celebration is "Making History Now." 

"Fifty years ago, a small group here in San Diego, very brave brothers and sisters of the LGBTQ community, got together and organized the first Pride parade," said Council Member Jennifer Campbell. "It was so illegal back then that many had to wear a bag over their heads, so they wouldn't be identified. That's how much times have changed." 

San Diego City Council Chambers was packed. People dressed up in bright colors and waved Pride flags. The council proclaimed July as "Pride Month." 

"When I was a kid, we didn't live in a big city, we didn't have a Pride parade. It would have been reassuring to know there are LGBTQ people all over the place," said Council Member Stephen Whitburn. 

FULL STORY: 50th anniversary of San Diego pride kicks off at City Hall

For five decades, San Diego has been celebrating Pride. 

CBS 8 archives show it has evolved from a handful of people to hundreds of thousands of LGBTQ+ Community members and allies supporting gay and transgender rights. 

“It was a handful of folks who had gone down. The city asked for a permit, been told no, and they got together there. The records really vary between a couple dozen to a couple 100,” said Jen LeBarbera, Pride Interim Co-Executive Director. 

Today there are 300 contingents in the San Diego Pride parade and 10,000 or more people who are marching in the parade on Saturday, July 20 in Hillcrest. 

This year’s theme is “Making History Now.” 

“I think the thing that sticks out the most when I look back at our history is how similar it is to what we’re going through now,” said LaBarbera.   

FULL STORY: The history of San Diego Pride 

Pride by the Beach is put on by the North County LGBTQ+ Resource Center to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community and highlight programs offered at the center. Programs include case managers for housing, food distribution and mental health support.   

This year was the biggest Pride by the Beach yet. The event's director Roxanne Detheradge said there were more than 20,000 people in attendance and more than 170 booths.   

Booths included vendors and organizations with resources, including Free Mom Hugs and the Strong Hearted Native Women's Coalition. 

"The support is great, I mean it’s something needed in the Native community and the visibility as well in the community so that’s what we’re here for and creating a safe space for our Native people," Tim Ruise with the Strong Hearted Native Women's Coalition said. 

In 2023, Pride by the Beach won second place for the Best of North County Annual Festivals/Events. 

FULL STORY: Oceanside's 17th annual Pride by the Beach kicks off Pride Month 

The Sixth Annual LGBTQ+ and Law Enforcement Summit brought dozens of people to engage in a Q&A in Hillcrest in mid-June. Several agencies answered the community's safety concerns as Pride Month is underway.  

“We understand that we need to bridge the gap with all of our communities and we want people to know that we are your neighbors, we can talk to you, you can talk to us and create those open lines of communication so that we can ultimately keep people safe,” Federal Bureau of Investigations Public Affairs Officer Kira Boyd said. 

FULL STORY: Law enforcement agencies listen to safety concerns in the LGBTQ+ community as Pride Month begins 

The festival is put on by the San Diego Black LGBTQ Coalition. The organization was raising money for future events in the community throughout the festival. 

She Fest is a program of Pride that centers LGBTQ+ women and non-binary people and all those who find community with these identities. This year marks She Fest's 10th anniversary and one feature this year was inviting people to share their stories. Volunteers lead and run this event and the committee also pours love into events that celebrate women and non-binary people all year long. 

Hillcrest kicked off the 2024 San Diego Pride festivities with the Spirit of Stone Wall rally. 

Saint Paul's Episcopal Cathedral lit up in rainbow colors the Wednesday night before the Pride Parade. It's an annual celebration setting off pride festivities happening throughout San Diego. The Bankers Hill event has grown in attendance throughout the years.  

“Next year it will be ten years, I can't believe it myself,” Light up the Cathedral Co-Coordinator Susan Jester said. 

The celebration began with a service, music and speeches before attendees could make their way outside to see the cathedral light up in vibrant colors. For some people in attendance, it's what the colors represent that makes tonight so special.  

“I think it just fills me with a lot of love, that's what I think about is wow this is God's love just like shining over us and all these different colors that represent the diversity and the beautiful patchwork of our community,” Jester said. 

FULL STORY: 'Beautiful patchwork of our community' | Cathedral shines rainbow lights ahead of San Diego Pride 

San Diego Pride's Interim Co-Executive Director Jen LaBarbera talked about what visitors can expect this weekend.

Library workers and educators were the community Grand Marshals of the 2024 Pride Parade and kicked of the event.

Sheila E. was one of the headliners at the San Diego Pride Festival. The two-day music festival featured over 300 musical acts on four stages in Balboa Park. Sheila E. joined CBS 8's Evan Noorani to discuss her involvement in the event and how honored she is to be included and perform in the festival.  

Hundreds come together to carry a 300-foot Pride flag at the finale of San Diego’s Pride Parade. The flag leads people all the way to the festival and people lining the parade route are encouraged to join in and help carry the flag. Benny Cartwright, a volunteer with San Diego Pride, is at the helm of this spectacular sight. 

San Diego Pride is one of the largest pride celebrations in the United States and the annual parade is the largest single-day civic event in the region, attracting over 250,000 people. And this year, 303 contingents took to the streets of Hillcrest. 

Long-term care planning begins to become more relevant as we age and many who are part of the LGBTQ+ community often don't have kids of their own or have people that could help take care of them. They also could be estranged from their families, increasing the burden of financial planning. This video aims to show how to start a plan. 

CBS 8 proudly partnered with San Diego Pride again this year and for the first time in the Parade’s history it was broadcast live on TV in its entirety on The CW San Diego Saturday, July 20. CBS 8’s Marcella Lee, Carlo Cecchetto and Evan Noorani hosted the parade from the heart of Hillcrest.