Dallas’ first ever Pride March — in June of 1972, three years after the Stonewall Riots — was held downtown. This Saturday, June 6, 54 years later, Pride returns to the streets of Downtown Dallas with the day-long Festival of Rainbows followed by the city’s first-ever Sunset Parade, stepping off down Main Street at 7 p.m.
Dallas Pride officials recommend that visitors use DART to go downtown, getting off at the St. Paul Station or the Akard Station.
The theme for this year’s Dallas Pride parade — the city’s first evening parade and the first Pride parade in Downtown Dallas since 1972 — is “Rainbows Don’t Wash Away,” and, organizers said, it “serves as a direct response to a rising tide of challenges facing the LGBTQ+ community, both in Texas and across the United States.”
Organizers added, “From the physical removal of rainbow-painted crosswalks in Texas cities to broader legislative efforts to restrict transgender right and omit LGBTQ+ narratives from history books, the message from Dallas Pride is clear:
“OUR EXISTENCE IN NOT TEMPORARY AND OUR HISTORY IS NOT ERASABLE.”
“Rainbow Don’t Wash Away” is “more than just a slogan,” Dallas Pride officials declared. “It is a declaration of permanence. Despite attempts to ‘power wash’ queer visibility out of the public square, the spirit of community remains deeply rooted in the fabric of Dallas.
“We have seen the attempts to quiet our voices and scrub our symbols from the streets,” they continued. “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.”
Dallas Pride Sunset Parade
The Sunset Pride Parade is the first Pride parade downtown since 1972 and the first-ever evening Pride parade in Dallas. And organizers promise it will be “a sunset lighted extravaganza.”
The parade steps off at 7 p.m. starting at Field Street and moving down Main Street to conclude at Harwood Street.
Admission to the parade is free.
Festival of Rainbows
The Dallas Pride Festival of Rainbows will be spread across four downtown parks: The Main Street Festival in Main Street Gardens, the Community Festival at Pacific Plaza, Teen Pride and Family Pride in Harwood Park and the Parade Festival and VIP experience at Pegasus Plaza.
All of the parks open at 11 a.m. on Saturday. Pacific Plaza and Harwood Park remain open until 6 p.m., while Main Street Gardens and Pegasus Plaza are open until 10 a.m.
General admission tickets to the festival, available in advance at Eventeny.com, are $16.27 (base price of $15 plus a $1.27 processing fee). Tickets for those over 65 and for those in the miliary are $14.14 (base price of $13 plus a $1.14 processing fee).
Online ticket sales end at 11 a.m. Saturday.
Tickets are the gate are $15 for those 13 and over, $13 for those 65 and older and free for children 12 and under.
When you buy your ticket online at Eventeny.com, you will receive a digital ticket. Then on Saturday, you can redeem that digital ticket for a wristband at the gate of any of the four festival parks. That wristband gains you admission to all four parks, with in-and-out privileges.
A valid ID is also required for admission to any of the festival parks. Bags are permitted but are subject to bag checks at the entrance to each park. No beverages will be allowed into or out of any of the parks.
Those going to Harwood Park for the Family Pride and Teen Pride events are required to dress in family-friendly attire.
VIP Experience tickets and tickets for bleacher seating to watch the parade are sold out.
Main Street Garden: Main Street Festival
(South Harwood Street at Main Street
Main Street Garden is the anchor park for the Festival of Rainbows. It will feature a main stage with entertainers including drag performers and DJs along with Pride merchandise, artisan vendors, arts & crafts vendors and food vendors.
Visitors to the Main Street Festival can expect to find marquee brand, legacy partners and sponsor activations in the park.
Pacific Plaza: Community Festival
(North Harwood Street at Pacific Avenue at DART’s St. Paul Station)
One of the highlights of the Community Festival at Pacific Plaza will be a live LGBTQIA+ Speed Dating experience presented by LaylaLuxuryy.
This will be an “interactive event designed to bring the community together through connection, conversation and fun,” Dallas Pride organizers said. “Whether you meet a new friend, make a meaningful connection or find the love of your life, this is an experience you don’t want to miss.”
The Community Festival will also offer booths with artisan vendors, community organizations, nonprofit organizations, social groups, churches and Pride merchandise.
It also features the Community Stage with performances by local entertainers, vocal groups, theatrical companies and karaoke, as well as a Food Truck Village and a “Big Kids” playground.
Harwood Park: Teen Pride/Family Pride Zone
(South Harwood Street at Jackson Street)
Teen Pride and Family Pride Zone in Harwood Park will offer Teen Pride vendors, a Teen Pride stage with entertainers, DJs and interactive presentations. Family Pride Zone will have vendors and a Family Stage with family-friendly performers.
There will also be artisan vendors, arts & craft vendors, food vendors, and SPCA pet adoption area, a library truck, an exhibit by the Perot Museum, bounces houses, a skate park, a water park and an outdoor play pavilion for kids.
Pegasus Plaza: Parade Festival
(Main Street at Akard Street)
Pegasus Plaza is a boutique open-air park located along the Pride Festivals route. It will feature Pride merchandise, artisan vendors, arts & crafts vendors, food vendors and a prime parade viewing area with an announcer’s stand.
Admission to Pegasus Plaza and the parade is free.
— Tammye Nash