ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — St. Petersburg had hundreds of thousands of people celebrating Pride at its 23rd annual Pride Festival.
The St. Pete Pride Festival is considered to be the largest in Florida. Organizers reported that more than 350,000 people attended the event.
"This is probably the biggest I've seen it," said Jamiel Arth, an attendee.
WATCH: "Be who you are": St. Pete Pride Festival draws over 350K people in celebration of love
Many showed up decked out in rainbow gear and waving colorful flags.
"Love is love," said Bryant Nugent, an attendee.
For many, Pride is about love, peace, and feeling at home.
"It's important to celebrate so that they see representation, so I know that there's other people out there like me, so I don't feel so alone in the world," said Alexis Kimbrell, an attendee.
"Pride means for me, I mean, it's who I am, really," said Bri Teixeira, an attendee.
Richard Randall said for him, Pride is about celebrating freedom, diversity, and how far we’ve come as a society.
"When Pride first started, when I lived in Chicago, my boyfriend at the time, he was a little bit older, he was afraid to hold hands with me in public," said Randall. "And, to be able to see how we've grown, [shows] how important things like this are, so that we all know that we have - freedom to be who we want to be."
The Pride festival included a Trans March and a parade.
But not only is it a fun event for everyone to enjoy, it’s also a vital source of income for the hundreds of local vendors, caterers, artists, and community partners.
Organizers said this event generates nearly $ 63 million through direct and indirect spending.
And people keep coming back every year, for a reason.
"To be around individuals with like, good vibes, good food, good music, just came out to celebrate the day," said Denon Lindsey, an attendee.
One told ABC Action News' Annette Gutierrez that they just got married and have attended at least five Pride parades.
"It’s [about] showing up and being visible, and showing support to other people that need the support," said Arth. "And I needed that for myself at one point, so just trying to return the favor, because we just got married too."
"Be who you are, just be who you are," said a festival attendee.
As Pride month comes to an end, so do its festivities. This weekend marks the culmination of the major Pride events in St. Pete.
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