My first time photographing the Athens Pride Parade was both the easiest and the most overwhelming assignment I have ever tackled. Easy in terms of the sheer amount of color and strong visual moments crammed into the street of Athens, overwhelming for the same exact reason.
Before the parade even began, the spectacle of the parade attendees was already a feast for the eyes and the lens. Every variation of rainbow patterned clothing or accessories stood on the streets of downtown Athens— pants, shirts, hats, headbands, glasses, socks, jewelry, flags as capes, flags as face paint, flags as fans, arm bands, pins and flags as, well, flags. Attendees adorned themselves with layers upon layers of color, an impressive feat considering the sunny early June afternoon.
As loud, chaotic and fun as Pride is, the event also acted as an opportunity for groups to voice their support and calls to action on LGBTQ+ issues. Parade attendees and participants alike carried signs against hate and in support of love.
This event tended to blur the typical lines in a parade between those in it and those watching. Parade participants passed out flags, stickers and other accessories throughout. Some even gave out hugs to those standing on the sidewalks. Participants and attendees combined together to walk through the streets of Athens as the parade winded past the center of downtown. I was happily sandwiched in the middle of it.
Any parade packs a punch as new and often unexpected groups round street corners and a Pride parade is no different. One second a group was dancing in a truck bed with streamers. The very next, there’s someone dressed as a flamingo riding a unicycle and playing a trombone, each seeming to try to out-rainbow whoever came before.
But in reality, there wasn’t any feeling of upstaging or outshining at the event in the slightest. Those at the Athens Pride Parade showed up and carried a spirit of celebration for the local LGBTQ+ community, whether they were standing on the sidewalk or carrying banners through the streets.
I learned through my experience that photographing a Pride Parade can a lot of times be overwhelmingly about the moments that are loud. Crowds cheering, bold outfits, loud celebratory music. But the celebration of Pride month is just as much about the more quiet moments of joy that were just as much on display. A hug is exchanged, someone passes a handmade bracelet to another, young children sit on curbs in awe of what is going on in front of them. Both of these moments mix together to create the air of celebration for the parade and to extend throughout the rest of Pride month.
