OC Pride hosted its Colors of Strength festival and parade on Saturday, trying out a new venue for the annual celebration of the LGBTQIA+ community.
At the OC Fair & Event Center the day kicked off with the Blaze it Forward parade around the parking lot, a showcase of the culture and unity of the community, and a remembrance of Blaze Bernstein, a 19-year-old Lake Forest man killed in 2018 in what a jury this year called a hate crime. His parents, Jeanne and Gideon Bernstein, served as the grand marshals.
Kendra Crow with REI, fills the air with bubbles as she takes part in the OC Pride Parade at the OC Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Carrying letters that spell “VOTE,” walkers with Planned Parenthood take part in the OC Pride Parade at the OC Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
A Falck Ambulance horseback rider greets spectators alont the OC Pride Parade route at the OC Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Michaela Teissere with Segerstrom Center for the Arts, takes part in the OC Pride Parade at the OC Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Winston stolls along the OC Pride Parade route at the OC Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Chris Espinoza is embraced by Cheri Sarrazin with the nonprofit group, Free Moms Hugs, during the OC Pride Parade at the OC Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Chloe “Whambelina” Guthrie, with High Tide Derby, skates through the OC Pride Paradeat the OC Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Naki, owned by Gina Barboza, walks with the PetSmart group during the OC Pride Parade at the OC Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Spectators are shown some love by the nonprofit group, Free Moms Hugs, during the OC Pride Parade at the OC Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Justin Massey with the OC gay chorus group, MenAlive, has a skeletal companion during the OC Pride Parade at the OC Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
The Affirming Churches group hold signs about love as they take part in the OC Pride Parade at the OC Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Jehan Seresinhe, left, walks the with a US Bank group during the OC Pride Parade at the OC Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Saddie sashays alonghe OC Pride Parade route at the OC Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa on the Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
An OC Pride Parade spectator shows support at the OC Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
A giant Pride flag fills the street during the OC Pride Parade at the OC Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa on..Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
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Kendra Crow with REI, fills the air with bubbles as she takes part in the OC Pride Parade at the OC Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Following the parade, the fairgrounds filled with crowds enjoying music and more. The move from downtown Santa Ana to the fairgrounds offered more room and more security for the event, organizers said.
“OC Pride is more than just a celebration,” Manny Muro, vice president of the OC Pride board, said ahead of Saturday’s festivities. “It is a movement that brings our community together and reminds us of the strength that we find together.”
