The cloudy, colorless sky was no match for the rainbows that flooded Saturday's Pride Festival.
Performers and vendors provided entertainment, information and services at the event celebrating gay pride, which was held at the Bo Diddley Community Plaza.
The festival, sponsored by the Pride Community Center of North Central Florida, was first held in Gainesville in 1994 and has been growing ever since, said Terry Fleming, a board member for the organization.
Fleming estimated that between 3,000 and 3,500 people attended this year's event.
Although the event had no political affiliation, the upcoming election and issues such as the proposed Florida Marriage Amendment, or Amendment 2, which would define marriage as the legal union between a man and a woman, were a focal point for performers and attendees.
"If you've got a community of people who have a constitutional amendment against them getting married, they would have more reason than most to get involved," said Rebecca Rohdenburg, a UF graduate student in classics and first-time participant in the festival.
Gainesville City Commissioner Craig Lowe, who is gay, sat at one of the many booths lining the plaza to inform the community about upcoming ballot initiatives.
Voters will have an opportunity to vote on Amendment 2 on Nov. 4. It would affect domestic partnerships for both heterosexual and same-sex couples, Lowe said.
Flash Silvermoon, the first entertainer to perform on stage, stood at her keyboard and sang familiar old songs with a political twist.
"Keep your eyes on the prize, don't be blinded by those lies," she sang, encouraging the audience to vote for Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama in the upcoming election.
The event ended with a drag show that had the audience dancing and singing along.
Lady Pearl was the first queen to take the stage. Clad in a floor-length, sparkly red gown, she encouraged the audience to vote "no" on Amendment 2.
"I'm going to vote 'hell no,'" Lady Pearl said.
