“It always leaves a huge impression on me to see the whole community come together as one to celebrate Pride,” said Dave Cook, executive director of Pride. The turnout is especially significant for the “billion dollar sandbar” of 92,000 residents as it shows how the popularity of the expanded, three-day celebration has grown exponentially in such a short amount of time, said Pride Board Chairman Mark Fernandes. The three-day Pride weekend, which started on Friday, April 7, with a poolside VIP reception at the W South Beach hotel and transitioned into a full-day beach party on Saturday before culminating with the Pride parade and festival on Sunday, saw an estimated 135,000-plus come out for the weekend’s festivities. MIAMI BEACH – Ap– A quartet of Pride Marshals greeted a record crowd of proud revelers who turned out throughout the weekend for the 9th Annual Miami Beach Gay Pride Parade and Festival presented by Celebrity Cruises.
