There were a few floats, one band, a handful of drag queens, a couple of shirtless guys, pairs of politicians, two shopping carts decorated with colorful tinsel and dozens of families who marched down Paseo de Peralta on Saturday afternoon in a parade to show support with rainbows too many to count.

Instead of stopping at the Plaza this year, Santa Fe Pride relocated to the newly redeveloped Railyard, a space that allowed for looser regulations on food sales and other vendors as well as a beer garden, children's play area and plenty of room for dancing.

A sandwich offered by Cafe Cafe called the GLBT stood not for the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender theme of the day, but for guacamole, lettuce, bacon and tomato. Dentist Richard Parker handed out neon toothbrushes embossed "BRUSH WITH PRIDE" as one of a long line of businesses and advocacy groups that set up booths.

The event came on a hot and sunny day, drawing parts of the crowd to a newly opened splashing water fountain feature near the children's play area. Others huddled under a few mature trees in the park and in the sparse shade of its newly planted ones, but a good many worshipped the sun and watched a chorus line that tossed copious quantities of rainbow confetti over sweaty heads.

Lori Saunders stood away from the fray, near the top of a grassy performance space where she counted heads as her children wove in and out of the thick crowd just after the parade arrived in the Railyard.

"It's fun for all the kids. Everyone loves a parade. It's good for them to see the diversity, being new to the lesbian moms," said Saunders, who with her partner, Laura Ortega, adopted five siblings less than a year ago.

The Railyard setup meant that while Saunders and friends took the kids to splash in the new fountain, Ortega and others could sneak a break in the Pride adults-only area fenced off at the other end of the park.

Some visitors from Albuquerque attended the celebration, including Tiffany Star, who performs a rock-and-roll drag show. Star said the gathering seemed to be the biggest Pride in Santa Fe she's attended.

"We've got to support this community. A lot of straight people are not going to help us, so we have to help ourselves," she said.

Psychotherapist Jim Fickey, who stood among the crowd with partner John Grimm, agreed that the new location was working.

"I like it here because it's so expansive," said Grimm.

"It's kind of nice," echoed Fickey, who said the size of the gathering has grown and seemed heavy on younger men and women.

He also noted the meaning of the event has changed in the 25 years that he's lived in Santa Fe.

"I'm not sure gay pride is anything we need to work on anymore. It's a bit of a dated concept," he said.

Meanwhile, City Councilor Patti Bushee and other politicians who took advantage of live microphones wanted to keep the concept in everyone's mind.

"We have some battles ahead to have our equal rights in this state," Bushee shouted. "Some of us want marriage equality and we want it now."

The Legislature this year shot down a bill that would have extended some rights to domestic partnerships.

Contact Julie Ann Grimm at 986-3017 or jgrimm@sfnewmexican.com.