Chicago's annual Pride Parade for 2026 steps off on the city's North Side this weekend, with huge crowds and hundreds of thousands people expected for the popular parade's 55th year. The parade, with the theme "Free to Be Proud" this year, starts at 11 a.m. Sunday. "For over 50 years, the iconic Chicago Pride Parade has been the treasured centerpiece of the city’s month-long Pride celebrations, bringing vibrant energy and joyous festivities to the Lakeview and Lincoln Park neighborhoods on the last Sunday of June each year," the event's website said. "What began as a modest march has grown into one of the oldest and most historic Pride celebrations in the United States." #prideparade #chicago #pridemonth #chicagopride