Pride celebrations filled the Santa Maria Fairpark on Sunday as the 7th annual Santa Maria Pride returned to the Central Coast.
For House of Pride and Equality (HOPE), this year marked the organization's third time hosting a pride celebration at the Santa Maria Fairpark.
Organizers say it was the largest turnout they have seen yet.
“We have had such a great response of volunteers," HOPE Board President John Shade said. "The committee has been meeting since January.”
Filled with over 60 vendors, the theme of this year’s celebration was "Strength in Diversity."
“This is actually our first pride event, but it's fun," face painting vendor Skyy Silva said. "We've been celebrating pride for a long time."
“HOPE has put in so much work," Lompoc Queer Alliance Co-Founder Celia Marjorie said. "So many people are just coming together. Even from last year, this seems like it's twice as big.”
According to Shade, this was the largest festival turnout he has seen.
The event had over 60 sponsors on Sunday afternoon, beating the 40 that attended last year.
Looking ahead, Shade says he wants the event to stay safe and educational for years to come.
“We're going to be who we are, and that's what we want people to be able to do," Shade said. "We want to try and help alleviate them and provide the resources and the space to be themselves.”
“Every time I've gone to another pride, it's been more accepting, more love, more change, more diversity," attendee Heather Wright said."That's where the change has been, is the inclusivity in everybody being able to be a part of it."
