With a new route, fresh performances, and strong, positive messages of visibility and community, thousands came out to walk, cheer, and gather at Pride parade and celebration in Bangor, Maine.
Reports News Center Maine NBC-TV:
Downtown Bangor was bursting with color Saturday as thousands gathered for the city’s annual Pride parade, central Maine’s largest celebration of the LGBTQ+ community.
Vendors, performers, and participants lined a new parade route this year that traveled along Water Street before ending at the Bangor waterfront. Organizers estimated more than 7,000 people and over 100 vendors took part.
For many, the atmosphere was immediate and vivid.
“It’s really wonderful,” said Susan Roberts, a vendor at the event. “I’m always uplifted when I come to a Pride march.”
But beyond the celebration, participants said the day carried deeper meaning rooted in visibility and lived experience.
Roberts, who came out 42 years ago, said she has watched attitudes toward the LGBTQ+ community change dramatically over time.
“I was in the first Boston Pride March and I carried the American flag,” Roberts said. “I swear all the policemen that I made eye contact with as I walked down, they didn’t know whether to salute or spit.”
Standing among thousands in Bangor, she said the difference between then and now is striking.
Petrichor Kneeland-Campbell, co-chair of Bangor Pride’s board of directors, said visibility remains one of Pride’s central goals.
“It’s to let people know that they’re not alone, especially the youth in our community really need to see elders to look up to,” Kneeland-Campbell said.
13-year old Max Kygard said representation is especially important for younger attendees still forming their identity.
“It’s also important for queer kids to be recognized as queer and not just a phase,” Kygard said.
This year’s updated parade route also received positive feedback. Local drag performer Alandra Matthews, who rode on one of the floats, said the change improved the experience.
“Before, we were out in a parking lot,” Matthews said. “Now I feel like we’re in a park, we’re visible.”
While the parade lasts only a few hours, many attendees said its impact extends far beyond the day itself.
“We’re opening the world up to differences and celebrating all the wonderful varieties of human beings we can be,” she said.
