Dallas Pride today (Thursday, April 9) announced the official theme for the 2026 Pride Festival and Parade: “Rainbows Don’t Wash Away.” Dallas Pride’s Festival of Rainbows and Sunset Pride Parade are set for Saturday, June 6.
“The selection of this year’s theme serves as a direct response to a rising tide of challenges facing the LGBTQ+ community, both in Texas and across the United States” Dallas Pride organizers said in a press release “Amid the chaos resulting from everything from the physical removal of rainbow-painted sidewalks in local municipalities to broader legislative efforts to restrict transgender rights and omit LGBTQ+ narratives from history books, the message from Dallas Pride is clear: Our existence is not temporary, and our history is not erasable.”
The theme of “Rainbows Don’t Wash Away” is “more than just a slogan,” the press release said. “It is a declaration of permanence. Despite attempts to ‘power-wash’ queer visibility out of the public square, the spirit of the community remains deeply rooted in the fabric of Dallas.”
Dallas Pride organizers continued, “We have seen the attempts to quiet our voices and scrub our symbols from the streets. But Pride isn’t just paint on a crosswalk; it is the lived experience, the history and the unbreakable resolve of our people.
“You can remove a sign, but you cannot wash away our truth.”
2026 focus areas
This year’s Dallas Pride programming will emphasize the three core pillars of the “Rainbows Don’t Wash Away” campaign. They are:
• Preserving History: Showcasing the local legends and milestones that shaped the Dallas LGBTQ+ movement.
• Standing with our Trans Community: Direct advocacy and visibility for transgender and non-binary individuals facing legislative hurdles.
• Community Visibility: Encouraging local businesses and residents to display their colors even more vibrantly in the face of pushbacks.
Event Details
The 2026 Dallas Pride celebration, which is moving this year from Fair Park to downtown Dallas, will include the Festival of Rainbows and the first Sunset Parade on Main. Organizers promise “a day filled with local art, diverse performances and a community marketplace that celebrates the intersectional identities of the North Texas region.”
The festival will take place in four different downtown parks: Main Street Garden Park and Pegasus Plaza from 11 a.m.–10 p.m., and Pacific Plaza and Harwood Park from 11 a.m.– 6 p.m. The parade steps off on Main Street at Field Street at 7 p.m., moving down Main to Harwood Street.
“Dallas Pride invites all community members, allies and advocates to join us in showing the world that our colors are permanent,” organizers said.
Check the Dallas Pride website for more information on registration, sponsorships and volunteer opportunities.
— Tammye Nash