NYC Pride Cuts Parade Route By A Mile

As I told you back in February, as a cost-cutting measure the NYPD has mandated that parade routes be significantly shorter in 2010. Accordingly, today NYC's Heritage of Pride announced that they were reducing the length of this years parade by 16 blocks. Via press release:

Although the March used to begin at 52nd St. & 5th Ave., this year, it will step off at 36th St. & 5th Ave. The result is a parade that is shorter than usual by 0.8 miles. Consequently, the judges and reviewing stand had to be relocated to a new location at 9th St. & 5th Ave. Nevertheless, the parade will still begin at noon on Sunday, June 27, 2010. Also, it will still end at Christopher St. & Greenwich St., meaning that it continues to pass the site of the Stonewall riots. "Some people running NYC Pride are disappointed by the announcement," says Arthur Finn, Co-chair of Heritage of Pride, Inc., the non-profit organization that plans the events, "but, we understand the city's need for the change this year." Furthermore, "we aren't alone," says Finn, "as the city says it is requiring that every parade make the same sort of reduction as we did for this year." At the same time, “the shortened March route will not diminish the importance of the March,” announced Fran Rolan, the Senior Co-chair and counterpart to Finn. “We are more excited than ever to celebrate the fortieth anniversary of the first LGBT Pride March.”

To my mind, a shorter route means denser, most festive crowds and a quicker finish. Win-win.