Media’s State Street is about to turn into a mile-long rainbow on Saturday at noon, as the Delaware County Pride Parade steps off for another year of fast-growing, suburban celebration. What started as a modest, grassroots march has now swelled into a full-on procession of student GSAs, nonprofits and neighborhood groups filling the borough’s main drag. Organizers are also following it up with a bigger Delco Pride festival in Upper Darby the following weekend, packed with dozens of vendors and family-friendly programming.
According to CBS Philadelphia, Delco Pride has grown into one of the Philadelphia region’s largest suburban Pride events. The outlet spoke with organizers Kayla Cocci and Kyle McIntyre, who pointed to surging youth participation, especially from GSAs, along with intensive local organizing as the engine behind that growth. McIntyre called gatherings like this “essential to the survival of the community.”
Event Details
The parade steps off at 12 p.m. on Saturday and runs roughly a mile down State Street in Media, with organizers listing 104 E State St. as the official start point. Parade logistics and a detailed route map are posted on the Delco Pride page maintained by U.D.T.J.. The procession is vehicle-free and typically features several performance spots along the route to keep spectators entertained from start to finish.
How It Grew
Organizers say the countywide approach has been intentional. With no single, concentrated “Gayborhood” in Delco, leaders spent years building momentum through smaller gatherings and by connecting resources across multiple suburbs. The Philadelphia Inquirer coverage of the inaugural march detailed how those early grassroots efforts helped the parade expand to multiple sites and draw people from all corners of the county.
Festival And Logistics
Once the last marchers clear the route, “Pride on State” will keep State Street buzzing into the evening, with local businesses hosting activities, according to the Visit Media events calendar. The larger Delco Pride festival is scheduled for Saturday, June 13 at the Upper Darby Township Municipal Building (100 Garrett Road), where organizers say more than 130 vendors will be on site and programming will run from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Full vendor lists, maps and parking information are available on the event site run by U.D.T.J., which also notes that all Delco Pride events are smoke-free and free to attend, with donations suggested but not required…