CPS at Chicago Pride

Celebrate Pride with Chicago Public Schools

We are excited to welcome you to this year’s Chicago Pride Parade! This year’s theme is Free to Be Proud which is intentional and declarative. Pride has never been just about celebration — it is about visibility, dignity, resilience, and the right to exist safely and authentically. It is a reminder that no one is truly free until everyone is free to be.

Together, we celebrate who we are, honor where we’ve been, and commit to a future where all people are truly free to live proudly, authentically, and unapologetically.

Thank you for coming out to represent Chicago Public Schools, your friends, your family, and your community. We appreciate your support and interest in this opportunity. The following email contains some important information and reminders.

What to Know Before You Go

Float #46 in Zone C located at Broadway & Sheridan. Enter the staging area from one of the following gates:

Gate 3: N Broadway and W Irving Park Rd (walk down N Broadway towards W Sheridan Rd)
Gate 4: N Clarendon Ave and W Irving Park Rd (walk down N Clarendon Ave towards W Sheridan Rd)
Gate 5: N Pine Grove Ave and W Irving Park Rd (walk down N Pine Grove Ave towards Sheridan)

Pride Parade Gates 3, 4, 5

Gate 6: W Sheridan Rd and N Lake Shore Dr (walk down Sheridan Rd towards N Broadway)

Pride Parade Gate 6

CTA: The closest L stops are Wilson, Sheridan, Addison or Belmont on the Red Line and Southport, Belmont, Wellington, or Diversey on the Brown Line. Bus lines are 8, 22, 36, 80, or 152. The Belmont and Addison stations (and the surrounding area) tend to become the most crowded, so you are encouraged to consider watching the parade from the other parts of the route, including areas toward the start of the route—such as Broadway, south of Montrose—which are served by both the nearby Wilson and Sheridan stations on the Red Line.

By Car: Traveling north from Belmont (or Addison) on inner Lake Shore Drive, immediately after the Grace stoplight make a soft turn left to Sheridan, then enter west (Gate 6) to Float #46 location on the north side of Sheridan between Broadway and Inner Lake Shore Drive.

Pride Parade Parking

If you signed up to participate in the parade and need a copy of the release forms, email Brett Baxley at babaxley@cps.edu.

Students: All CPS students must sign and submit both forms (CPS & iHeart) prior to the day to the day of the event. Students under 18 must have a legal parent/guardian sign the release forms as well.
CPS Staff: Must sign and submit the iHeart release form only prior to the day of the event.

No one is allowed on or off the float once the parade has started, especially when the float is moving.
Walkers should not grab anything on the float while it is moving. If they need water, ask someone on the float to hand the water bottle to you.
Do not walk too close to the sides of the float.
Do not walk behind the float.
Do not walk in front of the float or the vehicle pulling the float.
Float riders should sit at all times if possible. When standing, they should hold onto the side rail at all times.
No one under the age of 18 is allowed on the float, no exceptions.
Do not invite friends or family you see along the parade route to join you walking with the float. If you do not have a CPS Pride Shirt on, you will not be allowed in the parade route.
If you need to stop and use the restroom, you must inform your chaperone so an adult can wait for you to rejoin the group.
Have fun!