The annual Tel Aviv Pride Parade is set to take place on Thursday afternoon in the center of the bustling city which is home to a very active LGBTQ community.
According to the event organizers, the Pride Parade brings in over 250,000 attendees annually and is the largest LGBTQ parade in Asia.
This year marks the 30th anniversary of the first Tel Aviv Pride Parade which took place in 1993. It will begin at Meir Park, and continue onto Bugrashov St., Ben Yehuda St., and Ben-Gurion Blvd. The parade ends at Charles Clore Park on the beach.
According to Israeli transit app Moovit, the following streets in Tel Aviv are closed on Thursday until the end of the Pride Parade:
- Herbert Samuel from Shalag to Daniel Street.
- HaYarkon from Jabotinsky Street heading south.
- Rokach Boulevard from Ben Gurion Avenue heading west.
- After 12 p.m., HaYarkon will be closed for traffic heading north from Kaufmann/Eilat Intersection to Gordon Street, including the crossing streets.
- Frishman will be closed for traffic heading west from Dizengoff Street
- Golda Meir will be closed for traffic heading north from Clock Square to Kaufmann Street.
- Eilat will be closed for traffic heading west from Aluf HaPlaut Street to Kaufmann Street.
- Elifelet will be closed for traffic from Salama Road.
- Salama Road will be closed for traffic heading west from Kibbutz Galuyot.
The parade is set to kick off at 5 p.m. and last for approximately three hours.
Police preparations for the celebrations
Israel police announced on Wednesday that they had completed their preparations for the parade, including security assessments and drills to simulate various emergency situations.
Tel Aviv District Commander Amichai Ashad explained: "Our goal should be very clear to every police officer and every commander - every participant in the parade...will return home safely and with a smile...There is a rainbow of challenges here - nationalist, homophobic, criminal, traffic, safety - all of them are laid out before us, before every commander...and his police officers. ...Every police officer, uniformed or plainclothes, must remember that he is the first response to the nationalist threat."
Left-wing protesters took to the streets on Thursday morning before festivities began, painting the intersection of Kaplan St. and Menachem Begin St. with the rainbow pride colors and writing, "There is no pride in dictatorship."
The activists stated: "Ahead of the pride events in Tel Aviv-Yafo, we remind everyone that the rights of the gay community and equal rights for all are in danger! The dictatorship does not take care of the weak, it oppresses them. We will continue to fight for a liberal and democratic Israel."
Arrest made ahead of parade
A 33-year-old man was arrested after he approached the area of the Tel Aviv LGBTQ Pride Parade with an electric taser, pepper spray, a sharp spike and an unidentified chemical substance on Thursday afternoon.
According to reports, the arrested man had previous police records for threatening harm to members of the LGBTQ community.