The 2021 Come Out With Pride festival returned to Lake Eola Park for its 17th edition after the COVID-19 pandemic made last year’s festivities mostly virtual with some in-person events. The main attraction, the pride parade throughout Downtown Orlando, was attended by thousands gathered along miles of sidewalks guiding the parade route. The sound of the whooping crowd and the cacophony of shrieking whistles echoed through the streets, greeting the dozens of rainbow-adorned floats and signs in solidarity with the LGBTQ community. And after coronavirus moved most of last year’s events indoors, people who attended appeared more energized than previous years, said Solomon Brooks, who has attended Come Out With Pride Festivals for years. Brooks said QUOTE “It’s like we had that break, last year we weren’t able to trust ourselves in this way with fellow queers all around us. I’ve been a part of these maybe four times before — it’s all those Prides, quadrupled. The energy is so explosive.” UNQUOTE