More than 20,000 people are expected to attend an annual gay pride festival and parade this weekend in Palm Springs.

The 23rd annual Greater Palm Springs Festival and Parade, themed “Your Rights, Our Rights, Human Rights,” begins at 10 a.m. Saturday at Palm Springs Stadium, 1901 Baristo Road.

The two-day event will feature more than 200 booths and an appearance by dance diva Pepper Mashay, said city of Palm Springs spokeswoman Amy Blaisdell.

Cleve Jones, a gay-rights activist, will be the grand marshal of Sunday's parade along Palm Canyon Drive between Alejo and Ramon roads.

Jones, a Palm Springs resident, served as an historical consultant on Gus Van Sant's film “Milk” about slain activist Harvey Milk, a San Francisco County supervisor who was the first openly gay man elected to public office in California.

Jones is a member of the International Advisory Board of the Harvard AIDS Institute and a board member of the Foundation for AIDS and Immune Research.

Palm Springs Mayor Steve Pougnet, his partner and their two children will participate in the parade, along with Mayor Pro Tem Chris Mills and Councilwoman Ginny Foat, recently up for re-election, and fellow council members Rick Hutcheson and Lee Weigel and their families.

Admission to the festival is $15 per person and $20 for a two-day pass.