City of Springfield to host Pride parade event this weekend

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WGGB/WSHM) - June is Pride month and the city of Springfield is getting ready to celebrate with a parade this weekend for the second year in a row.

To show support for the LGBTQIA+ community, the Pride parade will be taking place here in Springfield. In their first year, they expected 500 people to show up and 6,000 came. This year - they are hoping to surpass that with at least 10,000 people.

The event will take place on Saturday, June 3rd. Their mission is to walk together in support of inclusivity and remind LGBTQIA+ youth that they are safe, loved and never alone.

The parade route will begin at the Springfield Technical Community College and finish at Stearns Square. 10,000 people are expected to fill the city.

It’s a boost that Jacinto Blanco Muñoz, the owner at DEL REY Taqueria & Bar, is looking forward too, as it could represent good business.

“We’re ready. We went out and talked with a lot of people in town and they did it last year. It was really good. So, this year we are going to participate in this event; so I hope everything is really good and that all the people we expect, so we are waiting for everybody. We’re waiting for that,” Blanco Muñoz told us.

But besides boosting Springfield’s economy and creating a space of celebration, the parade is sending a message through their partnerships with government, especially targeted to Springfield’s youth.

Something that Springfield Health and Human Services Commissioner, Helen Caulton-Harris tells Western Mass News is imperative to do.

“Our young people really need to understand that we value them, love them, and want to support them in being who they are. And so, I see this as a really critical public health initiative,” said Caulton-Harris.

The celebrations will begin on Thursday with a fundraising gala hosted by Commissioner Caulton-Harris, but the main event will begin on Saturday at 10 a.m.

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