On the Sunday of the parade, an area of the festival called Leather Alley features fetish and BDSM oriented booths and demonstrations. It is a collection of booths, dance stages, and vendors around the Civic Center area near San Francisco City Hall. It is common for them to decorate a flatbed truck or float, along with loud dance music, or create a colorful contingent that carries a visual message out to the bystanders.Ī two-day (Saturday and Sunday) festival has grown up around the Sunday morning parade. Nonprofit community groups and LGBT-oriented local businesses contribute more than half of the contingents.LGBT-affirming religious groups of many denominations contribute several dozen contingents.Politicians frequently participate in the parade, as a way of making themselves visible to LGBT prospective voters.This contingent is notable for the emotion it generates along the route. It is common to see signs from all over Northern California. Many carry signs indicating where their PFLAG chapter comes from. These are typically the parents or family members of LGBT people, mostly straight, sometimes marching together with their LGBT relatives. Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG), is usually one of the largest contingents, featuring several hundred people.PFLAG contingent at San Francisco Pride 2004
