Going to Chicago Pride... Alone?

I'm contemplating going to Chicago's Pride Parade on Sunday. If I go, it will be my first, despite the fact that I'm pretty over the hill (40). It's only been 3 or 4 years since I started -- in my late 30s -- to really grapple with the fact that I'm gay, so a lot of things are still very new to me (I went to my first gay bar just last year!).

Here's my question: how feasible is it for someone like me to go by myself and have an okayish time? My worry is that I really won't fit in. I don't drink, so there's that problem. I tend to be acutely self-conscious when I feel like the majority of other people are there with groups of friends/significant others/etc. (and I do think that will be the case with quite a few of the people at Pride). I'm also not the kind of guy to start talking to random strangers. And don't even get me started about my looks, which aren't exactly going to get me noticed, except, perhaps, in a negative way.

I do have a local friend who is gay who I've known for about 2 1/2 years who I had hoped might invite me to join him this year -- but he is meeting up with friends with whom he has attended Pride for something like the last 15-20 years. (Theoretically, I could invite myself along, but I don't want to impose myself on him; plus, I find his silence on the subject kind of odd. It's like having a Superbowl party and inviting all your friends who like football... except for the one who just recently became a football fan! ha).

I suppose all this is a roundabout way of saying that I recognize that Pride is about community -- but that I don't feel like I'm part of that community or see any real way into it.

I'd be grateful to hear about other people's experiences of going to Pride for the first time -- especially if you went alone -- and would welcome advice on the pros/cons of going solo. (And if you're familiar with Pride in Chicago, some additional deets would be awesome -- like how early you need to get there for the parade!).

cheers,
waytooneurotic