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Gay pride revelers crowd onto Rio de Janeiro's Copacabana beach for flamboyant parade

Associated Press
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People dance under a rainbow flag during the annual Gay Pride Parade at Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2013. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana) (The Associated Press)

People participate in the annual Gay Pride Parade at Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2013. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana) (The Associated Press)

People participate in the annual Gay Pride Parade at Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on Sunday, Oct. 13, 2013. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana) (The Associated Press)

Rio de Janeiro's famed Copacabana beach has been packed with tens of thousands of revelers taking part in the city's gay pride parade.

A hot tropical sun beamed down on Sunday's flamboyant and loud procession.

Participants in Carnavalesque outfits danced as trucks outfitted with enormous speakers blasted driving electronic music.

Rio's pride parade isn't Brazil's largest. That distinction belongs to the event held in Sao Paulo. But the gathering arguably the country's wildest, taking place in a city that throws its arms open wide to any event offering a glitzy show.

Organizers say it's not just a party, though. They want to raise awareness about violence committed against gays and to reinforce lessons about safe sex among those taking part in the parade.