Pretoria Pride once again took over the Centurion Rugby Club for the 2022 edition of one of South Africa’s biggest queer gatherings. The large turnout was a return to pre-Covid numbers following last year’s much smaller pandemic-restricted Pretoria Pride event.
Braving a heatwave, hundreds were led by Mr and Miss Gay Pride Pretoria, Marco Prins and Larissa Vee Jones, through the streets of Centurion to proudly affirm their sexual and gender identities.
With little overtly political messaging in the march (compared to the previous week’s Soweto Pride, for example), the procession was all about fun, creativity and visibility, with many participants sporting inventive and eye-catching outfits.
Cars hooted in support and music blared from floats packed with barely-dressed boys amid an explosion of rainbow umbrellas. The event also had a sizeable contingent of bears, some on a vehicle and others carrying a huge Bear Pride flag behind it.