Tijuana Pride parade this weekend

Tijuana’s 16th gay and lesbian Pride march hits the streets Saturday, June 18, at 5 p.m.

Several hundred people joined last year’s parade down Revolution Avenue, the city center’s main drag.

That was about 10 times more than the 85 pioneers who marched in the city’s first gay Pride parade in 1995.

Last year’s sponsors included the state government, the tourism committee, a merchants’ association and a brewery.

Marchers will gather in front of the Alliance Against AIDS (ACOSIDA) Clinic at 7648 First Street (Calle 1ra), five blocks west of Revolution between Avenue E (Mutualismo) and Avenue F (5 de Mayo). (Some street signs refer to Calle 1ra as Calle Artículo 123.)

To get there: Walk across the international border at San Ysidro. Exit the southern pedestrian turnstiles (not the western ones) and turn right. Pass through the taco and tchotchke stands, and cross Avenida Amistad. Continue straight through the now-mostly-deserted Viva Tijuana open-air mall, then ascend the big Tijuana River pedestrian bridge and cross the river. Continue straight ahead (west) about two blocks and cross under the St. Louis-style arch on Avenida Revolución. Enter Calle 1ra/Artículo 123 (do not veer left into the slanted Plaza Santa Cecilia pedestrian mall) and proceed to number 7648. (Some buildings may be marked in an older street-numbering system; pay attention only to numbers above 7000.)

To get to the border, take the San Diego Trolley or drive and park in a paid lot on the U.S. side for around $8.