Photos: Alaska Pride Fest 2013

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Pridefest 2013 capped off a week of LGBTQA celebrations, with a march through downtown Anchorage and a festival on the park strip. Pridefest is organized by Identity Inc, a non-profit supporting the LGBTQA community in Alaska. June 15, 2013

The annual Alaska Pride Parade attracted big crowds Saturday as marchers walked from Fourth Avenue to Delaney Park in downtown Anchorage, just blocks away from where the first-ever Color Run in Alaska was wrapping up.

The parade was Mardi Gras-themed and the atmosphere upbeat, but marchers also shared stories of hardship and overcoming adversity.

Sixty-five vendors set up shop at Delaney Park this year -- the most ever, said event coordinator Beth Allen. Vendors included a few big names that hadn't participated in past years, like Alaska Airlines and the Anchorage Chamber of Commerce. Andrew Halcro, president of the chamber, marched in the parade.

While the march itself wasn't the largest Anchorage has seen, thousands came by to check out the vendors afterward, while events earlier in the week saw "more participation than ever before," Allen said.

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