Pride was on display across Manhattan Sunday as the 51st annual Pride March took place. 

“It’s amazing, I love New York," said pride march attendee Monica  Pelaez. "They celebrate pride."

Although the march was officially promoted as a virtual event again this year, there was a partial comeback, with smaller groups marching from Madison Square Park to Greenwich Village.

There were also various pop-up experiences featuring more than 100 local vendors.

The return of some in-person events marked a turnaround from last year, when the march was canceled for the first time in its history due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I’ve been to hundreds of Prides in New York City," said John Vairo Jr., who attended with his husband. "They've been unmovable, you can’t get from one street to the next. This is nothing compared to what I’m usually expecting."

Even though the march was smaller than usual, Vairo and others who attended were happy to see the city begin to put the pandemic in the rearview mirror.

“What I’ve expected and what’s here is a sense of normalcy — it’s a celebration, you know what I mean," said Vairo. "Being queer in New York is a wonderful thing, and to see it out on the street, people with their masks off — it’s just, it’s wonderful, it’s a happy celebration."

The official theme for 2021 Pride was “the fight continues,” a theme attendees saw as appropriate.

“There's still a lot of work to be done," said Vairo's husband, Tommy Semosh. "You know, as we’ve seen over the last 17 months, now more than ever, so I think the best part is being able to show our love to the world, as silly as that may sound, but it’s special, it’s wonderful."

This year's celebration was the source of major debate after NYC Pride organizers banned law enforcement groups, including the Gay Officers Action Leaque, from taking part in or patrolling the march over concerns that some members of the LGBTQ community see police officers as symbols of brutality. 

GOAL organized its own event, where Mayor Bill de Blasio criticized the ban. 

"The way to answer exclusion is not with more exclusion. If we're going to move forward, we have to bring everyone together," de Blasio said. "We're going to change the culture from within. We're going to reach a hand to the community while wearing a uniform, because that is what we aspire to: a city, a government, a police force that represents the community, honors the community, respects the community, understands the community. That could only happen if LGBT officers joined the NYPD by definition."

Elsewhere in Manhattan, large crowds joined the third annual Queer Liberation March, which is organized by the Reclaim Pride Coalition as an alternative to the main Pride celebration. The march started in Bryant Park and ended in Greenwich Village.