News The NYC Pride March through the years, in photos By amNY.com staff Updated June 24, 2018 5:19 PM Print Share fbShare Tweet Email New York City has been proud for quite some time. NYC Pride March, the world's largest LGBTQ pride celebration, kicked off in 1970 as the Christopher Street Liberation Day march. The annual march commemorates the Stonewall riots of 1969, which happened at the now-iconic Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village. The Pride March has been going strong for nearly 50 years now, with the 2018 parade coming through Manhattan on June 24. Scroll down to see photos from past marches through the years. Photo Credit: Newsday / Alan Raia Marchers make their way up Fifth Avenue in Manhattan at the Pride Parade on June 28, 1981. Photo Credit: Newsday / Alan Raia A mom marches during the Gay Pride Parade in Manhattan on June 28, 1981. Photo Credit: Newsday / Alan Raia Members of the group NYC Parents of Lesbians and Gay Men march along Fifth Avenue in Manhattan at the Gay Pride Parade on June 28, 1981. 1985 Photo Credit: Newsday / Daniel Goodrich A general view of the NYC Pride March on Fifth Avenue is pictured on June 30, 1985. 1986 Photo Credit: Newsday / Ken Sawchuk Spectators watch the NYC Pride March on June 29, 1986, from outside of the New York Public Library. 1986 Photo Credit: Newsday / Tom Kitts Marchers pass anti-gay protesters near St. Patrick's Cathedral during the NYC Pride March on June 29, 1986. 1986 Photo Credit: Newsday / Tom Kitts On June 29, 1986, marchers in the NYC Pride March exchange words with two Lyndon LaRouche supporters who were insulting parade participants. Lyndon LaRouche had called for the registration and quarantining of those suffering from or carrying the AIDS virus. LaRouche had gained enough signatures in California to force a vote in the state's November election. 1987 Photo Credit: Newsday / Richard Lee Marchers make their way down Fifth Avenue on June 28, 1987, for the annual NYC Pride March. 1987 Photo Credit: Newsday / Ray Stubblebine An overview of the crowd at the rally on Christopher and West streets at the end of the NYC Pride March on June 28, 1987. 1988 Photo Credit: Newsday / Jeffrey Salter NYC Pride marchers head down Fifth Avenue on June 26, 1988. 1989 Photo Credit: Newsday / Todd Endorf Gay rights activists representing the Lesbian and Gay Community Services Center dance down Fifth Avenue on June 25, 1989. 1989 Photo Credit: Newsday / Jeffrey A. Salter Squire Bergen marches in the NYC Pride March with a bottle of AZT, the medication he takes to survive, taped to his overalls. Mayor Ed Koch is seen in the background. About 1,000 gay men, lesbians and their supporters re-enacted one of the first gay rights marches in New York City on June 25, 1989. The group marched more than 60 blocks through Manhattan to protest the government's AIDS policy and violence against homosexuals. 1990 Photo Credit: Newsday / Nanine Hartzenbusch Members of the group ACT UP, or AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power, lie in the middle of Fifth Avenue during the NYC Pride March on June 24, 1990. 1990 Photo Credit: Newsday / Jim Cummins Mayor David Dinkins walks in the NYC Pride March on June 24, 1990. 1991 Photo Credit: Newsday / Jeffery A. Salter Members of the Gay Asians Group perform for spectators at the NYC Pride March on June 30, 1991. 1993 Photo Credit: Newsday / Gigi Cohen Members of the Gay Veterans Association carry a large American flag down Fifth Avenue during the NYC Pride March on June 27, 1993. 1999 Photo Credit: AFP / Getty Images / Stan Honda Lesbian members of the Sirens Women's Motorcycle Club prepare to lead off the NYC Pride March on New York's Fifth Avenue on June 27, 1999. This is also the 30th anniversary of the Stonewall Riot, marking the beginning of the gay political movement. 2000 Photo Credit: AFP / Getty Images / Doug Kanter Two men dance on a float along Fifth Avenue in Manhattan during the annual NYC Pride March in New York City on June 25, 2000. 2001 Photo Credit: Getty Images / Spencer Platt A group of motorcyclists commence the 31st annual NYC Pride March on June 24, 2001. 2002 Photo Credit: Getty Images / Spencer Platt New York City police officer Miguel Montalvo marches in the annual NYC Pride March on June 30, 2002, in New York City. 2004 Photo Credit: Getty Images / Stephen Chernin Former Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) waves to the crowd as he walks with John Kerry supporters during the NYC Pride March on June 27, 2004, in New York City. 2005 Photo Credit: Getty Images / Stephen Chernin Men in drag wearing sashes walk down Christopher Street during the NYC Pride March on June 26, 2005, in New York City. 2006 Photo Credit: Getty Images / Michael Brown Sen. Chuck Schumer is seen during the 2006 NYC Pride March along Fifth Avenue on June 25, 2006, in New York City. 2007 Photo Credit: Getty Images / Michael Nagle Participants wear "attention needed" T-shirts and march in the NYC Pride March on June 24, 2007, in New York City. 2009 Photo Credit: Getty Images / Spencer Platt A couple on their motorcycle make a statement about the contentious issue of gay marriage while participating in the annual NYC Pride March on June 28, 2009, in New York City. The 2009 march commemorated the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall riots, which erupted after a police raid on the Stonewall Inn on Christopher Street in 1969. 2011 Photo Credit: Getty Images / Mario Tama Revelers kiss following the NYC Pride March on June 26, 2011, in New York City. The parade took on extra significance following the legalization of same-sex marriage in New York, often regarded as the birthplace of the gay rights movement. 2012 Photo Credit: Getty Images / Michael Nagle Revelers kiss in front of the Stonewall Inn during the NYC Pride March on June 24, 2012 in New York City. Photo Credit: Getty Images / Andrew Burton Edie Windsor rides through Manhattan in the Pride Parade on June 30, 2013. 2014 Photo Credit: Getty Images / Eric Thayer Grand Marshal Laverne Cox, left, and Delores Nettles, mother of slain transgender woman Islan Nettles, attend the 2014 NYC Pride March on June 29, 2014, in New York City. 2015 Photo Credit: Getty Images / Yana Paskova Mayor Bill de Blasio marches in the NYC Pride March on June 28, 2015, in New York City. The parade ran two days after the Supreme Court's landmark decision guaranteeing nationwide gay marriage rights. Photo Credit: Charles Eckert Barbara Poma, center, the owner of Orlando's Pulse nightclub, rides on a float during the 2016 New York City Pride March on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan on Sunday, June 26, 2016. The parade paid tribute to the 49 killed in the shooting at Pulse on June 12. Photo Credit: Craig Ruttle Wonder Woman strikes a pose during the 46th annual New York City Pride March along Fifth Avenue in Manhattan on June 26, 2016. Photo Credit: Getty Images/ Bryan R. Smith Members of Gays Against Guns march during the 46th annual Gay Pride march June 26, 2016 in New York. Photo Credit: David Handschuh Grand Marshal Brooke Guinan, the first openly transgender NYFD firefighter, leads thousands down Fifth Avenue during on June 25, 2017. Photo Credit: David Handschuh Thousands march down Fifth Avenue during the Pride March on June 25, 2017. 2018 Photo Credit: Jeff Bachner Marchers are pretty in pink at the parade on Sunday, June 24, 2018. Photo Credit: Charles Eckert Spectators in an apartment on Christopher Street wave to friends on Sunday, June 24, 2018. Photo Credit: Charles Eckert One spectator with rainbows on her cheeks cheers on Christopher Street on Sunday, June 24, 2018. By amNY.com staff Share on Facebook Share on Twitter More on this topic Heading to the Pride March? Here's what to knowThe route has changed in an effort to reduce the overall time of the procession, which is expected to see 48,000 marchers. Party with the 'Pose' cast and more ways to celebrate PrideYes, your options are as varied as the colors in a rainbow. Comments We're revamping our Comments section. Learn more and share your input.