On a blisteringly hot, sunny Saturday, London witnessed close to 750,000 revelers celebrating EuroPride, organizers said.
A Scotland Yard spokesman estimated 40,000 had turned out for the parade. As ever, there was a slight disparity between the police figures and anybody else's.
Organizer Jason Pollock joked at the seemingly moderate figures: "40,000? In the parade? On Dean Street? Down Bateman Alley?" he asked.
The sensational parade marked the end of a two-week European festival of LGBT culture. Streets in central London were closed as marchers, floats, dancers and bands led the EuroPride procession.
"It shows to the world what London is, the world's most diverse, gay-friendly city," Pollock said.
It was the first time in Pride history that the parade took over the shopping hell that is Oxford Street.
"I wish Oxford Street could be like this every day," said one party boy, waving a pink union flag that matched his pink satin hot pants.
The pink flag, which a very entrepreneurial straight market trader ran up and sold for 10 pounds (two for £15) proved to be the hit of the day -- encapsulating World Cup patriotism, gay pride and most usefully, simply giving queens something to wave and flap about.
Angela Mason of the gay activist group Stonewall commented on the recolored flags, saying that as a community, we needed to put "the pink back into the Union Jack."
(Source:gay.com)
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