PRIDE Northshore Parade Participant FAQ

All participants should arrive at the lineup location at 3:30pm.

We have 545 participants in this parade. Everyone organizing the parade, including the directors, board and parade captains are unpaid volunteers. Please be patient, kind and considerate with yourself and everyone involved.

  • For those marching with the general Queer Northshore group, check in is between 3:30 and 4:15. Please arrive at 3:30. You must check in to get your wristband. No wristband, no parading. Do not arrive after 4:15 expecting to be checked in. For those marching with other groups, your group leaders will be checking in for your entire group. Give yourself A LOT of time to find parking.

  • As with any parade, parking is a challenge. We recommend arriving early so you have time to get a good spot. Parking is available along many of the side streets. Since many of these streets are residential, please be mindful of residential driveways. Carpooling is always a great option as well.

  • Lineup is at the boat launch next to the Mandeville Lakefront Splash Park (Lakeshore Drive and Jackson Avenue). Click here or type in “Mandeville Lakefront Splash Park” in your GPS.

  • If you are marching with the Queer Northshore group, you will check yourself in with designated volunteers from 3:30-4:15 at the parade lineup location (Lakeshore Drive and Jackson Ave near the Mandeville beach playground).Look for the Queer Northshore and PRIDE Northshore banners! If you are marching with another krewe (example, Ochsner PRIDE, Lavender lions, PFLAG, Parents with PRIDE, etc) your group leader will check in your entire group. Everyone will receive a rubber armband after checking in. This is proof that you are in the parade. If you ordered more than one ticket under your name, you must check in with all members of your party in order to receive your armbands. 

  • The parade will roll promptly at 5pm and will wrap up at 6pm, followed by the after party at Pat’s Rest Awhile.

  • Bring your Queer Joy, a positive attitude, sunscreen, and water! Also, bring money if you wanna buy PRIDE Northshore merch or food and drinks at the after party.

  • Look for any of the Pride Parade Captains! They’ll be the one wearing shirts that say “PRIDE PARADE CAPTAIN.”

  • We will have 5 portable toilets near check in.

  • Yep. Right after the parade at Pat’s Rest Awhile which is right near the end of the route. No cover. Multiple bars. Most of the venue is all ages.

PRIDE Northshore community guidelines and procedures

PRIDE Northshore requires that all participants agree to follow this  code of conduct.

Clothing - As this is an all ages event and many children will be present, we ask that all participants remain fully dressed at all times and avoid clothing with sexually explicit or profane messaging. Tops and bottoms must be worn. No fetish gear. We love kink, but Mandeville… not so much. 

Sunscreen and water: These are your best friend. Don’t forget them.

Behavior- If you wouldn’t do it in front of a group of Kindergarteners, please don’t do it at the parade. 

Vehicles- The only vehicles allowed in the parade are those that have already been approved. If you have mobility issues, please reach out to us at info@queernorthshore.org and we’ll work with you to find the best solution.

Messaging - Please keep all messaging on banners and signs positive and PRIDE focused.

Throws - Having throws is completely optional but if you decide to bring any, please keep them rated PG. Please do not bring plastic beads. These are highly toxic and bad for the environment. Handmade throws are encouraged. Please hand throws to people rather than actually throwing them. 

Garbage - Post-parade clean up will be led by the Keep Abita Beautiful team. These are all unpaid volunteers who are helping out Queer Northshore as a favor. Please do your part in keeping the Lakefront clean by disposing of all garbage in trash receptacles. 

Food- Food isn’t allowed on the Lakefront but there will be opportunities to eat at the after party immediately following the parade. 

Minors - Parade participants must be 18+ unless they are accompanied by a legal guardian. 

Animals - If you are participating in the parade, please leave pets at home this year. Service animals are welcome. 

Music/Sound- If you will be playing music during the parade please choose songs without explicit lyrics. Please leave megaphones at home. 

Protestors - There will be protestors. They will try to provoke us. They will be filming us. PLEASE DO NOT ENGAGE WITH PROTESTORS. Seriously, friends. They will try everything in their power to make you lose your cool. Please remain calm. Please do not make fun of their religion (if applicable) or attempt to antagonize them. If you need to physically move away from them, please do that. If you feel threatened by someone, please alert people around you and/or a PRIDE parade captain. They expect and want us to react negatively. The worst possible outcome for them is they show up to harass us and we just ignore them completely. 

PRIDE Captains: There will be 8 people placed strategically throughout the parade wearing shirts that say “PRIDE Captain.” If you are having any kind of issue that parade organizers need to be aware of, please let a PRIDE captain know.

Arrival time and Parking: Please plan to check in between 3:30 and 4:15. Keep in mind that parking will be limited on the lakefront. Please give yourself 30 minutes to find parking and walk to the line-up area. We strongly recommend connecting with others to carpool if you are concerned about parking.

Lineup Area: We will lineup at Lakeshore Drive and Jackson Ave near the Mandeville beach playground

Check-in: If you are marching with the Queer Northshore group, you will check yourself in with designated volunteers from 3:30-4:15 at the parade lineup location (Lakeshore Drive and Jackson Ave near the Mandeville beach playground). If you are marching with another subkrewe (example, Ochsner PRIDE, Lavender lions, PFLAG, Parents with PRIDE, etc) your group leader will check in your entire group. Everyone will receive a rubber armband after checking in. This is proof that you are in the parade. If you ordered more than one ticket under your name, you must check in with all members of your party in order to receive your armbands. 

Line-Up Procedure: Folks marching with QNS will lineup towards the front of the parade. If you are marching in a subkrewe your group leader will let you know your parade lineup number and location. 

Parade Start Time: The parade will roll promptly at 5pm. 

Post parade Procedure: When the route is over, please turn north (to your right) and walk up the sidewalk to Pats Rest Awhile (if you are going to the afterparty ) or turn left to walk along the lake to your car. Please do not walk through the parade or spectators to return to your vehicle. 

Afterparty: The afterparty will take place at Pat’s Rest Awhile (2129 Lakeshore Dr) immediately following the parade.

Merchandise: Tshirts, posters, and stickers will be for sale before the parade from 3:30-4:20 and at the after party. If you plan on purchasing merch that you don’t want to carry with you during the parade, please plan to arrive at 3:30 to give yourself time to put your merchandise in your car and return to the parade lineup to checkin. You can purchase merch with Venmo or cash. Tshirts are $25, posters are $10, and stickers are $2. We have a limited number of each.