Dallas Southern Pride’s Juneteenth celebration garners record attendance, adds $2 million-plus to local economy
From Staff Reports
A record number of visitors converged on Dallas the weekend of June 19 to celebrate Gay Pride Month and the Juneteenth holiday, according to a spokesman for Dallas Southern Pride, one of the primary sponsors for Juneteenth Unity Weekend. And those visitors, the spokesman said, pumped millions of dollars into the local economy.
Early estimates indicate at least 20,000 people visited DFW for the celebration, filling local hotels, restaurants and shops. They were treated to three days of events, a block party and a pool party as well as health screenings.
Event organizers vaccinated nearly 100 attendees against COVID-19, the spokesman added.
Kirk Myers, lead organizer, said Dallas Southern Pride is “beyond pleased with this year’s unprecedented turnout.”
He continued, “I want to thank everyone who traveled to our beloved Dallas to participate in this year’s Juneteenth celebration just days after the historic vote to make it a federal holiday. I also want to thank Dallas city leaders and the Dallas Police Department for partnering with us to make this record-breaking event safe and enjoyable.”
This year’s Juneteenth party marked a number of firsts, notably that, for the first time, the HIV positivity rate was below 10 percent among the more than 200 attendees who were tested. There were also 50 attendees who signed up for the HIV prevention treatment PrEP.
Pointing again to DPD’s cooperation in staging the event, the DSP spokesman noted that the city of Dallas’ official Pride flag flew over the Dallas police headquarters for the first time during the Juneteenth weekend, and DPD held a recruitment drive targeting LGBTQ applicants.
The Dallas skyline was lighted in the Juneteenth and Black Pride colors for the first time this year, and the Dallas Southern Pride Official Pride flag made its debut, being flown for the first time at the Sheraton Market Center.
Myers and the DSP spokesman said the three-day Juneteenth party provided a much-needed “shot in the arm to the area economy.” The weekend’s festivities generated an estimated $2.2 million in revenue for local businesses that were hit hard by the nearly year-long pandemic shut down. The Juneteenth celebration also employed hundreds of “gig workers” who had been sidelined by the COVID-19 pandemic, and more than two dozen vendors — the most in the history of DSP’s Juneteenth celebrations — participated in the block party.
In addition, they noted, the Sheraton Suites Market Center Dallas host hotel and two overflow hotels were sold out for the weekend.
“This year’s massive success is a testament to the enormous trust our supporters have given us,” the DSP spokesman said. “That’s why planning is already underway for the 2022 Dallas Southern Pride/Juneteenth celebration, when we hope to welcome even more visitors to our great city.” Dallas Southern Pride dates back to 1997 when a small group of Black LGBTQ friends gathered to celebrate and uplift each other. In 2016, Juneteenth was included in the celebration to honor the essence and spirit of Black culture.
