Sneak peek at Sunday’s SF Pride Parade floats

It’s the most wonderful time of the year: San Francisco’s annual Pride celebration and parade goes down Sunday, and the festivities will features dozens of floats sponsored by Bay Area mainstays, presently being assembled at a fever pitch on Pier 54 by hardworking parade pros at Parade Guys.

During a visit this week to the pier and workshop, the scene looked like a hallucinogenic blend of whimsy, camp, and corporate logos, as this year’s floats are being assembled amid leftover materials from past parades still in storage, including beatific remnants of previous Lunar New Year parades.

Since these images are mostly of floats that are not yet finished it wouldn’t be fair to critique them from a design perspective, although certain individual elements stand out.

Oath’s sterling white faux crystal display plays a welcome contrast to all of the rainbows. Microsoft’s “Who Will You Lift Up?” slogan combined with a variety of LGBTQ+ movement flags actually comes across as (surprisingly) touching. The Japantown pagoda makes a rare appearance alongside other SF iconography. And Netflix’s giant red and black logo is having some trouble fitting in with the accompanying motifs.

For a complete list of Pride contingents, check out the entire list. To see all of the final floats in action, Sundays’ parade kicks off at 10:30 a.m. on Market Street.

Photos by Adam L Brinklow.

• The Parade Guys
• SF Pride Register
• SF Pride Guide [Curbed SF]