Chicago Pride Parade 2012 route outlined

June 19, 2012 (CHICAGO) (WLS) -- The Chicago Pride parade steps off at noon Sunday from Montrose and Broadway in Uptown.

The starting corner is new this year. Floats will begin lining up at 11 a.m. on North Broadway (both the east and the west curb lanes, from Montrose to Wilson); West Montrose (both the north and south curb lanes from Broadway to Clark) and North Sheridan Road (both the east and the west curb lanes, from Montrose to Sunnyside).

The parade will proceed south on Broadway; then south on Halsted; then east on Belmont; then south on Broadway; then east on Diversey to Cannon Drive. Cross streets will close as the parade travels south down the route.

In previous years residents and visitors complained about difficulty passing through the neighborhood.

"I just think we looked at the route in an old-fashioned way and we needed to actually do something about it, really for public safety and reflection of the growing LGBT community in the city," said Ald. Tom Tunney, 44th Ward.

The parade will feature 200 registered entries, including floats, decorated vehicles, performance groups, a marching band and walking contingents.

The entries represent community organizations, businesses, governmental officials and individual community members.

"This is a social event. As a young teenaged kid, I watched the first pride parade and it changed my life," said Richard Pfeiffer, Pride Chicago coordinator.

Crowd estimates each year are in the hundreds of thousands. The parade route will be lined with barricades on both sides of the street from beginning to the end of the route. Spectators will be required to remain behind the barricades.

After stepping off at 12:00 PM, the parade will take approximately two and one-half hours to finish crossing the Broadway & Montrose corner.

This year there will not be a buffer zone on Halsted Street after the parade ends.

CTA buses will be rerouted during this event.

There will be six cross-over streets:

1. Montrose Ave. 2. Irving Park Rd. 3. Addison St. 4. Grace St. 5. Roscoe St. 6. Wellington Ave.

At each corner of the streets listed above there will be four police officers assigned to assist pedestrians to cross the parade route.

Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church on Belmont has canceled its late afternoon service Sunday. But the pastor says the church will hold three morning Masses. He hopes with the new route parishioners will be have an easier time of getting out after Mass.

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