ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Hundreds of families gathered at Spa Beach in St. Petersburg on Sunday for St. Pete Pride's Family Day, one of the first events of Pride Month, drawing attendees from across the Tampa Bay area.
The event featured dozens of vendors and activities for all ages, giving families a chance to celebrate Pride in a welcoming, family-friendly environment ahead of the larger Pride parade later this month.
WATCH: St. Pete Pride Family Day kicks off Pride Month
Trent Brock, vice president of St. Pete Pride, said the event is designed to bring the community together.
"We always try to put on events that our community is going to enjoy, and we have different events that cater to different parts of our community," Brock said.
Brock said the goal of Family Day is to make Pride accessible to everyone.
"Whether you're an LGBTQ+ individual and you have children or maybe one of your children is LGBTQ+, this is a great event for the whole family to come to and really just have a great afternoon celebrating Pride and then everyone being their authentic self," Brock said.
Among those attending were Cassie Phelps and Yulissa Farhat, volunteers with St. Pete Athletic, a paddle and social club open to the public. Phelps said the spirit of the event goes beyond Pride itself.
"It's about all of the things and just what it takes to be human and be alive and feel comfortable in your own skin, and it's just about giving and receiving that love," Phelps said.
Farhat, a Florida transplant, said the sense of community she has found in St. Petersburg has made her want to put down roots here.
"I do enjoy being in Saint Pete more so because of the community aspect, because everyone is so welcoming, so loving, everyone is just themselves here and you know that's something that you don't see a lot," Farhat said.
The big St. Pete Pride parade is Saturday, June 27. More events are scheduled throughout the rest of the month. A full list of events is available at TampaBay28.com.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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