LOUISVILLE, Ky. — One of Kentucky’s biggest LGBTQ celebrations returned to Louisville on Saturday. The Kentuckiana Pride Parade and Festival kicked off downtown.

Without missing a beat, the Kentuckiana Marching Pride Band filled downtown Louisville with music. 

“I play what’s called a mellophone. Trumpet is the top kind of … voice and the brass mellophone is down. It takes the place of the French Horn. We actually have a couple of people marching French Horn, but they’re kind of awkward to march,” said Karen Bassett.

For Bassett, the parade is about showing her pride as a bisexual and expressing herself through music

“Like making music and, like, having fun and promoting unity and kindness and music and fun,” she said.

The band marched the two-mile parade route down Market Street to the Kentuckiana Pride Festival at the Big Four Lawn. 

“Having an event like this and a month like this that celebrates and makes people feel like they’re welcome and affirmed, I think is really super important because we don’t want LGBTQ kids to die,” said Bassett.

Steven Armstrong, parade director for the Kentuckiana Pride Foundation, said they were expecting over 100 groups and about 12,000 people to march in the parade.

Between the parade and festival, Armstrong said they were expecting 40,000 participants and for the first time—the festival was sold out.

“The LGBTQ population, we’ve struggled for a long time for equality and fairness, and it’s really important that we get to come together and celebrate that where we’ve gotten today and where we would go in the future for equal rights and equality and equity,” said Armstrong.

One step and note at a time, Basset is marching in hopes of a better future for the LGBTQ community.

“There’s always work to be done and until the suicide rate is zero and the homeless rate for LGBTQ youth is zero, there’s work to be done,” said Bassett.