San Francisco expecting around half a million people for Pride this weekend

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- The scene is set for one of the largest Pride celebrations in the world and one of San Francisco's most popular events of the year on Sunday.

Local public transit is making it easier for folks to get to San Francisco for the parade.

"So we feel like we're in a good spot, and we're ready for the big crowds that we're expecting in downtown San Francisco," Chris Filippi, a spokesperson for BART said.

BART is adding more service than ever before, with 5-line service instead of 3-line service, starting at 8 a.m. until 9 p.m.

MORE: SF's Pink Triangle shines as beacon of hope this Pride Month

"And it really is a great opportunity, I think, for people who maybe have not ridden BART in a long time, to give us a chance, to see what that experience is like now because we think that service is going to be really robust and people are going to be satisfied with how they're going to be able to get to the parade without having to worry about traffic, without having to worry about parking," Filippi said.

Once people arrive, San Francisco police say they can expect to see a "significant police presence" across the city and the parade route.

Folks attending the Pride festival will be screened through metal detectors as they arrive and police say bags are discouraged and if you do bring one, they say, it must be no larger than 18 inches by 18 inches.

MORE: 78 person all LGBTQ+ orchestra to hold 1st concert in San Francisco

"We are excited to have the traffic and we are excited to have all of these travelers coming in from across the world that are joining us this weekend," Alex Bastian, President and CEO of Hotel Council San Francisco said.

Bastian says they're estimating around half a million people will visit San Francisco on Sunday for Pride.

"For every $100 that is spent in the hotels, $200 is spent outside of the hotels, and that's great for small business, that's great for our tax base and that's just great for San Francisco," he said. "So when people are here, we really want to encourage them to enjoy all that the city has to offer."

Here's how to watch 2023 San Francisco Pride Parade on ABC7

If you're on the ABC7 News app, click here to watch live