Be sure to double check this webpage on Saturday morning. We’ll update this yellow bar at the top with any info you need!
We Start Two Hours Early This Year!
Plans have changed, and we end with a party in the park where we can watch the other 90% of the parade!
We’re being honored at the start of the parade at 10am
The Songwriter Sanctuary concert series we host monthly and collaborate with is being honored with a āSpirit of Stonewall Award.ā Our beloved friend Lindsay White who organizes the concerts is being provided a convertible to ride in so she can berecognized, and we couldnāt be happier for her! She made a special request that NHUnited be able to march right behind her, and the organizers honored it – so weāre right up at the beginning of the parade too! Weāre number 22 in the parade out of 200 organizations taking part, which changes plans a bit this year.Ā
A Quick Timeline Of The Dayā¦
7:30am |Ā Float checks in and arrives
8:00am |Ā Arrive to help with setup!
enjoy coffee, great music and greet other participants in the joy and vibes of the day as we decorate the float
9:30am |Ā Packed and ready to move
10:00am |Ā Parade starts!
10:24am |Ā We start marching!
11:00am |Ā We have finished
11:00am+ |Ā Join us in the park to watch the parade at the end!
with chairs and shade to watch and cheer for the remaining 90% of the parade!
We made a custom google map to keep track of times and places. You’ll see it through this page as you scroll, but not linked until the end because the info you need is on this page. In fact, you could never go to the map link and be just fine, it’s a bit wonky on a phone anyway.
We Get To March In The Parade,
And Then Watch It!
Weāre saving a comfy spot in the park at the end to watch the other 178 entries that come after us!
Nancy Palmer & Brooke Serrano are staking us a place on the grass in the park with shade tents, chairs and blankets near the end of the parade where you can have a shaded front row seat and watch in comfort. Being so early gave us the opportunity to both march and watch the parade!
Let us know you’re coming, so we know how much space to save!
Want to just watch the parade? Want to help with watching our site while Nancy and Brooke march, or have chairs to drop off ahead of time? Please reach out to Nancy at 858-518-5714.
Our meetup point is on the the southwest corner of Lincoln Anvenue & Normal Street
Out lineup spot is #22b, section G, on the edge of the DMV parking lot on Lincoln Avenue. If you want to map this out for walking directions, your best bet is to aim for the apartment just across the street…
4004 Normal St, San Diego, CA 92103
Getting Thereā¦
The City Bus
Find parking along the #11 Bus route, and get off at Park & Polk. You can take the #11 Bus back from 1st and Laurel St. Remember to download the Pronto app and load $5 for the fare there and back
Rideshare
You know? Apps like Uber and Lyft. Your best bet is to make your destination the restaurant Great Maple. It is the closest approach a driver could drop you off to our float. Just start walking to the left of Ā their front door and head behind the restaurant, down Lincoln Avenue and look for our parade tower float.
Great Maple
1451 Washington St
San Diego, CA 92103
Just Drive?
Yeah, normally we would discourage this – but if you aim to arrive at 7:30am to allow for some circling for spaces and to walk over, your odds could actually be pretty good. If you’re coming up short there’s a school fundraiser for $25 all day parking at Birney Elementary just a 10 minute stroll away.
This is not a sure thing, so you could be hunting for a while. You only need to panic if you haven’t made it to the float by 9am. Study our custom google map: the red border is the area of closed roads for parade staging, along with the green line of the parade route (also road closed).
Free Shuttle (risky)
Usually we encourage the free shuttle from the Balboa Naval Medical Center parking lot to the parade staging area, but it got much more complicated. It’s a free shuttle Here’s the problems… it can take up to 2 hours, and the shuttle doesn’t start until 8am – when you’d be aiming to arrive. Maybe it will be faster that early? We’re not sure. On top of that, parking is technically free all day there for residents – but you would have had to already registered with the city for that (sorry we were given to short notice about our time in the parade for you to enroll now). If you are registered and want to chance it, it’s a pleasant walk over the Cabrillo Bridge from the end of the parade and through Balboa Park back to your car.
Biking, Accessibility Shuttles and More…
BikeSD is hosting a free Bike Valet and you can find all the official (text heavy) info along with info on Accessibility Shuttles on the official SDPride parking and transportation page. Oh, here’s that link to the custom google map.
What Should I Bring?
- YOURSELF!
We would love for everyone to join us. Donāt worry about being late, not having a sign, not having the right attire, you are perfect the way you are! You can walk or ride in the shaded benches in our trailer/float if you donāt think walking the 1.5 miles is for you. Thereās plenty of room! You donāt need anything but a smile and the capacity to have your heart overwhelmed with pride and love to march in the parade! It is a wonderful experience that you wonāt regret.
- Your Pride Shirt, some fun attire or just whatever is good for you – don’t overthink it. This is the least judgmental place you could be!
- Water bottle (weāll have an ice cold water filling station)
- Snacks for the day
- Sunscreen, a hat and/or an umbrella (we will have a dozen rainbow shade umbrellas to loan too)
- Some comfortable walking shoes, or jump on the float and ride in under our shaded canopy!
SDUnited Youth Group
The staging area is in a different place than NHUnited for the parade, and there’s plans to walk over together with youth leaders from a nearby park.Ā
This year there’s also two great opportunities that were never an option before…
1) Be in the parade twice, riding with NHUnited and marching with SDUnited!
You can ride on the shaded trailer (to conserve your energy) with NHUnited, then walk with an adult the 1.3 miles back to the start at SDUnited’s meetup point to march again. Please contact Melissa@SDUnited.org if you can volunteer to chaperone.
2) Stay and watch the rest of the parade in the park!
NHUnited is staking a place in the park early at the end of the parade in the morning since they are at the start of the parade and can watch the rest of it. SDUnited is pretty much in the middle of the parade, and we can save you space in the park to watch the last half. We just need to know you’re coming…