A weekend for Pride

Pride Highlights

Friday

• The Fifth Annual Official Atlanta Pride Kick-off Party from 7-11:30 p.m at the Georgia Aquarium, 225 Baker St N.W., Atlanta.

Saturday

• Childrens Tent, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. near the playground and Greystone Pool House in Piedmont Park.

• YoGaga Class, 10 a.m. at the Piedmont Park Athletic Fields.

• Lambda Car Club Antique Car Exhibition, 10:45 a.m.-4 p.m., Piedmont Park between the 12th Street and 14th Street gates.

• “Colors: A Celebration!” Concert by Atlanta Freedom Bands, 8 p.m., Georgia Tech Center for the Arts.

• Wreath Placing and Taps Ceremony, 5 p.m., Veterans Marker near the intersection of 12th Street and Piedmont Avenue.

Sunday

• Atlanta Pride Parade, begins at 1 p.m. from Civic Center MARTA station, continuing down Peachtree Street to Piedmont Park.

All weekend

• Pride Vendors Market, 10 a.m.-7 p.m., Piedmont Park, Saturday and Sunday.

For a complete list of Pride-related events, go to the Atlanta Price Committee's website.

With recent victories at the Supreme Court changing the legal landscape for gay and lesbian people across the country, there’s plenty for Atlanta’s gay and lesbian community to celebrate at Atlanta Pride this weekend in Piedmont Park.

The largest and most recognized event of Atlanta’s Gay Pride Festival each year is the parade, which will take place Sunday at 1 p.m. The procession starts at the Civic Center MARTA station, winds its way down Peachtree Street and turns at 10th Street into Piedmont Park. More than 100 organizations will participate and this year’s march will include contingents from Home Depot, Georgia Tech , Emory, TBS, Ponce City Market and the American Military Partner Association.

Seven community leaders are serving as Grand Marshals for the parade, include blogger Mark S. King, media personality Evelyn Mims and Dr. Christina Bucher, an associate professor of English at Berry College who worked to gain recognized status for a gay and lesbian group at Berry last year.

But the parade is one of the later happenings during a busy weekend of festivities, performances and events. The weekend gets its official start on Friday with a party at the Georgia Aquarium, the Fifth Annual Official Atlanta Pride Kick-off Party, with music from Atlanta DJ Vicki Powell from 7 to 11:30 p.m.

Entertainment throughout the weekend in Piedmont Park includes singer-songwriter Steve Grand, whose song “All-American Boy” was a recent viral hit on YouTube; ’90s dance diva Taylor Dayne; and Atlanta native country rocker Sonia Leigh, who memorably opened for Loretta Lynn at Chastain Park last year. The entertainment culminates with the traditional Starlight Cabaret drag show on Sunday at 7:05 p.m. in Piedmont Park.

“Family-friendly” may not have been the first words that came to mind when the public thought of Gay Pride festivities years ago, but recent festivals have seen a host of events that reflect a growing awareness of gay and lesbian people as parents, family members and youth. A special tent and area near the playground and Greystone pool house in Piedmont Park will host kids’ events on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. including performances from Kaiser Permanente Education Theatre, arts and crafts activities, and kids’ yoga.

A special space created by the support organization JustUsATL for Atlanta LGBT youth ages 13-28 is slated daily during the festival at the bandstand near the tennis courts in Piedmont Park. There are also family contingents in the parade including Gay Fathers of Atlanta and the Atlanta chapter of Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays.

Hundreds of community groups and vendors’ stalls line the paved walkways in Piedmont Park on Saturday and Sunday, making for a busy and often crowded experience. Park visitors looking to escape the crowds can check out antique, classic and specialized cars and motorcycles, owned by members of the Lambda Car Club and the Lost Boys, on the roadway inside Piedmont Park between the 12th Street and 14th Street gates on Saturday afternoon. Participants can also stretch out and relax at 10 a.m. on Saturday with a mash-up of yoga class and Lady Gaga music called — what else? — YoGaga at the Piedmont Park athletic fields.