Pride Parade To Stay In Boystown For At Least One More Year

By Danette Chavez in News on Apr 23, 2015 1:45PM

(Photo courtesy of cynthiak)

Although no official word has been released, it's looking like Boystown will get to hang on to the Pride Parade this year. It's a victory for many neighborhood residents and businesses, even if a future move hasn't been ruled out yet.

Alderman Tom Tunney (44th Ward) set tongues wagging and hands a-wringing last summer when he told WBBM Radio that he wasn't "afraid to look into" other neighborhood options for the parade route. Tunney said he was concerned about safety, since the Pride Parade attendance has swelled to 1 million visitors (though only eight arrests were made last year).

His statement got a mixed response via multiple petitions: while one Change.org petition sought to keep the parade in Boystown, another urged relocating the parade to downtown to boost its visibility. But the majority of Lakeview and Boystown residents want to keep the parade in their neighborhoods, according to a September 2014 poll taken by Tunney's office. However, they do want to see some changes made in its organization, including additional police presence after the parade's conclusion.

This latest bit of news first broke on Crime in Wrigleyville and Boystown, which cited (though did not name) "multiple sources in city government." CBS Chicago also reported that a city official told WBBM's Steve Miller that the parade would remain in Boystown this year. We reached out to Alderman Tunney's office to confirm the news but as of post time have not received a response.