An estimated 200 LGBTQ+ people and allies took to the Youghiogheny River Sunday for Pittsburgh’s 4th Annual Big Gay River Float, continuing the growth of the free community event while introducing new ways to make it easier for people to participate.
Floaters gathered at the Smithton Beach Boat Launch before launching onto the Yough and making their way downstream to Cedar Creek Park in Belle Vernon. The trip typically takes three to four hours, giving participants an afternoon of sunshine, swimming, floating, and queer community on the river.
The event has grown from around 150 participants last year to an estimated 200 this year.
Organizers say the goal from the beginning has been to create a low-barrier, family-friendly event that welcomes the entire LGBTQ+ community and gets people outside together. The Float remains free to attend, with participants providing their own tubes and other flotation devices.
This year, organizers also responded to feedback from previous floats by offering a shuttle service to help participants navigate getting people and vehicles between the launch and the end point.
The shuttle made two trips carrying 50 people each, with approximately 100 attendees using the service.
Another addition this year was the “Solo Floater” program. People attending without a group could sign up before the event and organizers would help connect them with other participants ahead of the launch.
The effort reflected the larger purpose of making an outdoor LGBTQ+ gathering approachable even for someone who doesn’t already have a group of friends to bring along.
Now in its fourth year, the Big Gay River Float remains a largely DIY operation powered by volunteers and community participation. What began as an opportunity to bring LGBTQ+ people together outside has steadily become a summertime tradition, filling the Yough with an increasingly large flotilla of tubes, coolers, friends, families, and more than a little queer chaos.
Photos courtesy of the floaters!
