City leaders urge public to celebrate SF Pride responsibly as it gears up for weekend festivities

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- San Francisco is getting ready to kick off its annual Pride event.

City and public safety leaders gave a briefing Thursday morning about their plans for safety ahead of the big weekend. This is one of the city's biggest weekends and one of the largest Pride celebrations nationwide and law enforcement leaders say they are ready.

Both San Francisco Police Department and the Sheriff's Department say they are planning to be fully staffed throughout the weekend and have officers ready throughout the city to respond if needed.

While Pride is a huge celebration, leaders are reminding folks to party responsibly. That means taking public transit or rideshare if you plan on drinking.

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Mayor Daniel Lurie touted the success of the Chinese New Year Parade earlier this year, which coincided with NBA All-Star weekend. The city says those major events really prepared law enforcement officials for other large gatherings.

Leaders also acknowledged that in years past, crime did spike during Pride celebrations but say bad actors will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted.

There will be festivities celebrating Pride all weekend long, but the main event -- the SF Pride Parade -- kicks off at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday going from Market Street to 8th street. You can watch it live on all ABC7 platforms.