Don't know what social cues there are to miss, actually. How many parades have you watched or been in, in general? This one is really not much different from any other kind of parade except maybe a military one:
You show up, find the group you want to march with, stand around and drink Gatorade and talk as if you're at a party, then once you start marching, engage in less chit-chat and more waving and smiling at the crowds as you go down the street. If you have a sign, then you have swing it up and down. That's basically what you do.
Usually once you start marching, you don't end up socialising or talking much because you have an audience, the music from other groups/floats is loud and it's hard to hear each other talk. Sometimes you might dance in the streets, or if you have an interesting costume, pose for some random person's photos. That's all that happens.
I've been in several Pride Parades, with the Sydney Mardi Gras being the most interactive with the audience. The New York, San Francisco, and San Jose Pride Parades were pretty similar in temperment with each other and you end up doing exactly what I describe above.
It's easier than going to a party, IMO, because you're there more for the people watching the parade than for the people you are marching with, if that makes sense. And there to represent the idea that "queer is okay" or "poly is okay" and not necessarily "I belong to this group", though certainly there are some people who are more activist than social. Just showing up makes a personal statement about you, and that is, "I embrace diversity".
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You show up, find the group you want to march with, stand around and drink Gatorade and talk as if you're at a party, then once you start marching, engage in less chit-chat and more waving and smiling at the crowds as you go down the street. If you have a sign, then you have swing it up and down. That's basically what you do.
Usually once you start marching, you don't end up socialising or talking much because you have an audience, the music from other groups/floats is loud and it's hard to hear each other talk. Sometimes you might dance in the streets, or if you have an interesting costume, pose for some random person's photos. That's all that happens.
I've been in several Pride Parades, with the Sydney Mardi Gras being the most interactive with the audience. The New York, San Francisco, and San Jose Pride Parades were pretty similar in temperment with each other and you end up doing exactly what I describe above.
It's easier than going to a party, IMO, because you're there more for the people watching the parade than for the people you are marching with, if that makes sense. And there to represent the idea that "queer is okay" or "poly is okay" and not necessarily "I belong to this group", though certainly there are some people who are more activist than social. Just showing up makes a personal statement about you, and that is, "I embrace diversity".