Dozens of candles flickered and danced to the thump of drums through the streets of Hamilton last night.

That is what city-goers saw when dozens of children took to the streets to protest against substance abuse as part of PRIDE's Red Ribbon Week.

Hamilton town crier Ed Christopher put down his bell early into the march and picked up a bass drum to set the beat.

"This is great, especially the kids,'' he said with sweat dripping from his traditional costume. ''That's where I got the energy, just plugged into the kids.''

Red shirt-clad youngsters and grown-ups screamed at the top of their lungs on the march, demanding their stance against substance abuse be seen and heard.

The jovial parade made city-goers smile as the marchers began their protest on the lawn of the Cabinet Building on Front Street. They then continued up Queen Street, through City Hall parking lot and onto Victoria Street. The route continued along Dundonald and Court Streets before heading back to the starting point.

PRIDE volunteers and leaders sang and shouted energisers along the route but got especially loud on the junction of Dundonald and Court Street.

When the group arrived back at Cabinet, sweat coated everyone's face but the smiles drew more attention from the parents cameras.

Joining the PRIDE march was several other youth groups, including the Seventh-Day Adventist's Pathfinders.

After the march, the crowd of children and adults dispersed and the marshalling area around Cabinet building was quiet - but someone left a red flag on the grass, testament to the protest against alcohol and drug abuse.