NYC Pride March: Road closures and security information
NEW YORK (WABC) -- Around two and a half million people are expected to attend the New York City Pride March Sunday. It's one of the city's largest events, comparable to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and Times Square New Year's Eve ball drop.
Yet that number will double next year, as 2019 marks the Stonewall uprising's 50th anniversary and the WorldPride celebration, so the NYPD is changing the march's route to accommodate a much larger crowd.
The march traditionally proceeds through Midtown and the West Village, passing by the historic Stonewall Inn, but this year, the march will step off at 16th Street and 7th Avenue before proceeding east on Christopher and West 8th Streets.
Finally the Fifth Avenue portion of the parade will proceed northbound through the dispersal point at 29th Street.
The route change also provides greater viewing areas for the general public and people with disabilities.
As in years past, the NYPD will deploy uniformed and plainclothes officers, with 100 blocker cars and sand trucks in place along the route. No cross traffic will be permitted.
Last year's nine hour and 38 minute march kept Greenwich Village streets closed well into the overnight hours. The wider streets on this year's route are expected to move things along and end at a spot where crowds can more easily disperse.
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