Come Out With Pride events begin Thursday in Orlando, and organizers expect to see more people participate in the event than ever before.

Thursday night, Come Out With Pride festivities kick off with a free launch party in Thornton Park at The Veranda at 6:30.

This is the first event of many, culminating in Saturday’s big Come Out With Pride Parade in Downtown Orlando. Organizers saw about 140,000 people participate last year, and expect several thousand more to turn out this year to support the Orlando community.

“There’s a lot that’s happened here and I think that people will still continue to come here and have a great time, we hope,” said Come Out With Pride organizer Jeff Prystajko.

The parade starts at 4 p.m. Saturday and a complete listing of events can be found on the Come Out With Pride website.

This is the first Pride event in Orlando since the June attack at Pulse, the popular gay nightclub, where 49 people died and 53 others were shot.

Tributes to the victims and survivors will be paid during this year's parade. Although that will set a more somber tone, Prystajko says around 150,000 people are expected to flood this area celebrating their pride.

“For some people it probably feels like we’ve been pushed aside and then kicked over and over and over again. Well we need to keep getting up,” Prystajko said.

Now their focus is on ensuring everyone’s safety, because after Pulse, people in the LGBTQ community and throughout Central Florida have seen what violence and hatred can do.

Orlando Police said they are working with the parade, boosting patrols, using every security measure possible, including undercover cops. OPD officials are asking if anyone sees anything suspicious to please come forward and say something.

Getting around Downtown Orlando Saturday

Pride is not the only event happening downtown this weekend. The annual Veterans Day parade is Saturday. There's also an Art event called Art in Odd Places, and 98.9 WMMO is holding a downtown concert.

The city hopes event goers will choose public transportation to come to downtown. SunRail will run Saturday, as will Lynx buses. If you need help getting around downtown itself, LYMMO is a free bus service around the downtown area.

Several roadways throughout downtown are expected to be shut down periodically throughout the weekend. You can see which streets on the map below. For a closer look, go to the City of Orlando website.

If you have to drive into the downtown area, the city is asking event goers to use the following parking garages for each event:

City of Orlando Veterans Day Parade
The parade will begin at 11 a.m.

Come Out With Pride
Come Out With Pride Festival will take place at Lake Eola Park from noon – 10 p.m.
The Most Colorful Parade Sponsored by PNC Bank
will take place from 4 – 6 p.m.
Fireworks will take place at Lake Eola Park at 9:05 p.m.

AFTER 1:30 p.m. patrons can also use:

Art in Odd Places
Art in Odd Places will take place from 10 a.m. – 8 p.m.
On Magnolia Avenue between South and Jefferson Streets and Pine Street between Magnolia and Orange Avenues

98.9 WMMO Downtown Concert Series
Gates open at 4 p.m.