CHANGES COMING | Spectators line Cedar Springs to watch the 2010 Alan Ross Texas Freedom Parade. Traditionally, the crowds have trekked down to Lee Park after the parade each year for the free Festival in Lee Park. This year, though, the park will be fenced in and there will be a $5 admission fee. (John Wright/Dallas Voice)
Doughman says increased expenses, dangerous drinking levels in park led to changes
TAMMYE NASH | Senior Editor
nash@dallasvoice.com
Dallas Tavern Guild Executive Director Michael Doughman confirmed this week that organizers will be charging a $5 admission fee to the annual Festival in Lee Park following the Alan Ross Texas Freedom Parade in September.
Admission to the parade will still be free. The Tavern Guild, an organization of nightclubs catering to the LGBT community, took over planning, organizing and presenting the parade in the early 1980s.
Doughman said the park will be fenced in for the festival, due to new requirements by the city for outdoor events. Those attending the festival also will no longer be able to bring in coolers and glass containers of all kinds are banned.
The changes were prompted, Doughman said, by changes in requirements imposed by the city and by “polite warnings” from Dallas police and the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission that drinking during the festival was getting seriously out of hand.
But Doughman also acknowledged that the admission fee is intended to increase revenue, too.
“Being able to donate proceeds back to our beneficiary organizations has always been a major focus of the parade. But ever since the Homeland Security Act passed after 9/11, and the security requirements have gone up, the money we are able to donate back to our beneficiaries has been dwindling,” Doughman said. “We used to be able to donate $20,000 to $25,000, and we had three or four beneficiaries. Now, we’re lucky if we have $7,500 or $8,000 to give back to our one beneficiary [Youth First Texas].”
Doughman said that the cost of meeting city requirements has tripled since 2001. Part of that, he said, is due to increased security requirements in place since the passage of the Homeland Security Act.
“It used to be that we had to have 35 to 45 officers on duty for the parade. Last year, there were 102 officers,” he said. “We have to rent more barricades for blocking of the streets, and those barricades cost more to rent now than before. We have no control over those costs. On top of that, the materials and equipment we need to put on the parade costs more now, too — the port-o-lets, the radios, the golf carts. We’ve done nothing to reflect that cost back to [parade and festival attendees] until now.
“We think $5 is a minimal charge for people to attend, and charging that small admission fee means we may possibly be able to give more back to our beneficiaries, and maybe we can have two or three beneficiaries, like we used to do, instead of just one,” he said.
Doughman said the other main reason for fencing in the park and charging admission is to give parade organizers better control over the crowd.
“The last two or three years, it’s gotten really bad” in terms of celebration attendees drinking to excess and ending up being a danger to themselves and others, Doughman said.
“The Dallas police officers have been very kind about the way they have handled it, but we have been warned by the police and by TABC, and we had to be proactive in doing something to address the issue. It is a huge liability for [the Tavern Guild],” he said.
Doughman said that even though hard liquor has always been prohibited in the park, attendees have become more brazen about ignoring that ban.
“That’s a licensing issue. We only have a license for beer at the celebration, no hard liquor. If TABC were to do a sweep through there and find hard liquor, then we would be liable. They would take away our license and the city would never give us another permit for the parade or the celebration. That would be the end of Dallas Pride,” he said.
Doughman said incidences of excessive intoxication and underage drinking have increased noticeably over the past two or three years, and that police warned organizers the problem had to be addressed.
“There have been people walking around with open bottles of vodka. Last year, there were two young girls with a big jug of whiskey,” he said. “It’s gotten out of hand, and we have to be proactive in addressing the problem. Last year, we had two girls come up who had gotten separated from their friends. They were so intoxicated they couldn’t even speak coherently. We couldn’t even understand them when they told us their names and who they were looking for.
“What if someone comes to the festival, gets that drunk and then leaves the park and walks out into the road in front of a car and is hurt or killed. We are liable for that. Or what if they get drunk at the festival and then get behind the wheel of a car and hurt or kill someone else?” he added.
Doughman noted that organizers “have no issue” with people bringing bottled water into the park, but no outside liquor or beer will be allowed. “TABC will have their eye on us this year, and we have to manage the alcohol better,” he said.
Doughman said the last thing organizers want to do is take all the fun out of the annual Pride celebration, and said that those who pay the $5 fee to attend the celebration in the park will get to see “bigger-name entertainment” than in past years, as well as have access to improved food service.
“We don’t want to take the fun out of things, but we have to do what we have to do to make sure this is a safe event and to make sure that we follow the rules and make enough money to pay our costs and still have money for our beneficiary,” Doughman said. “We want everyone to have a good time, and we want them to do that in a safe environment.”
I don’t have a problem with charging $5 for a festival, but Mr. Doughman is wrong in his doomsday recitals of alleged reasons why the Taven has no choice but to enact these changes.
Mr. Doughman suggests that TABC may do a “sweep” of festival grounds. Fat chance! TABC is still on thin ice after the Rainbow Lounge. Does anyone think TABC would shut down an entire festival for a while to search folks for hidden flasks? Please! Further, it is absolutely false that if TABC were to find liquor (particularly on patrons, not vendors) that the Tavern’s license would be revoked and never renewed. §35.31 of Texas Administrative Code governing TABC requires that a licensee must only take reasonable steps to prevent only those violations it knows or should know about. It’s ridiculous to suggest that if this magical TABC sweep occurred, and a 20-year-old was found with a travel Scope bottle of vodka, that Dallas Pride would be over.
Moreover, it is absolutely a misstatement of the law that the Tavern would be liable of a festival-goer got drunk, left the festival, and hurt someone. Plainly untrue! Texas almost never holds vendors liable for the drunken conduct of their patrons except in extreme cases of a bar continuing to serve a patron long after the becoming obviously intoxicated. The Tavern knows this, or should. What about all the people who get drunk at bars (gay and straight) and get into a car accident or domestic disturbance? How many times has Caven been sued for that? I’m guessing not many.
And, suppose everything Mr. Doughman said was true. It is a bit presumptuous to assume that if the Tavern wasn’t given a liquor license that Dallas Pride would end. Besides there being a long line of people and organizations that would jump at the chance to run Pride, no alcohol license (or lack thereof) is going to keep me or anyone else from having pride in our community.
Again, I don’t really care if Tavern charges or doesn’t, but I’m guessing that this nominal fee is going to be so substantial that they can add multiple beneficiaries, pay for triple-priced security, facilities, and hardware, AND bring in big name entertainment. Let’s call a spade a spade. This is about a community event that has gotten big enough that businesses can charge a little to offset costs and make a little money. That isn’t an immoral thing in my opinion. Go for it. But what is immoral is dressing Maggie Gallagher in an Earth Day t-shirt and calling her an LGBT ally. The gay community is much smarter than that, Mr. Doughman.
Log Cabin Republicans was planning on having a booth as it always does at the festival until we read about the rule changes. The rule changes will impede attendance as much or more than the $5. Can you imagine Lee Park with a perimeter fence? Nobody will be able to enter without going through a main entrance. Can you imagine renting a booth an not being allowed to bring in a cooler for your workers and guests? We just offer water and soft drinks but coolers are now prohibited. I don’t believe these rules will stand for very long as surely nobody will commit to a festival that nobody will attend.
Greed! Greed! Greed!
That just killed our plans to attend.
Though I understand the reasoning, I think they will find that far fewer people attend the event, myself included …unless truly there is big name entertainment.
A minimal fee of $5 for the entrance is fine. But the total cost is dramatically higher since people will not be allowed to bring their own drinks in and therefore have to purchase overpriced drinks from vendors. I’m not saying they should not charge for entrance, but there is a solution out there that can appease everyone.
It is time for a change, but it is kind of sad that alcohol consumption appears to be the primary focus of many parade goers.
While I agree with many of the changes and restrictions that wll take place, I think Robert Schlein has brought a valid point that needs to be addressed. Exceptions should be made to permit those who rent a booth to be able to have coolers of water and soft drinks for their workers. I was in the parade last year, then worked in the Servicemembers Legal Degense Network booth for several hours. I cannot imagine not being able to have water available after the parade and during the hot afternoon in the booth. Come on, Tavern Guild, put some reasonable exceptions in place.
@Pridely, surely you jest. Have you not seen the streets after the parade is over? There is no pride at all …it’s just a reason for people to get liquored up beyond belief on a Sunday afternoon. I’m quite embarrassed at the lack of pride for our community. While it’s nice to have a prade, people should pick up after themselves. The trash in the streets is ankle deep with empty beer bottles and other garbage.
Make it $10 and give 2 drink tickets. Let the Vendor have $5, and $5 for the organizers.
Are people in Dallas r e a l l y this cheap?
I totally agree with Matthew on this entire subject. The last few years I’ve gone with friends and the streets in and around Lee Park, not to mention the strip in Oak Lawn are a totally mess. Nothing but a bunch of slobs. If we don’t have pride in our city, than how in the world are we going to have pride in our lifestyle??? Like Matthew stated, this event PRIDE) is just another excuse for the LGBT community to get TANKED and PLASTERED not just here in Dallas, but at other Pride Events in other cities as well. Makes me sick sometimes!!!!!
I have no opinion about the admission or rules (big surprise, huh?) because I have not attended this event in over 10 years. With all due respect to tradition, how about injecting some new ideas and practicality? Perhaps an evening event, designed as a fundraiser, where tickets could be sold, exhibitors could display their wares and services and those who were interested could attend in a comfortable, indoor setting? Why does it have to be a parade? Why does it have to be outdoors? If the only answer is “This is what we have always done”, then perhaps it’s time to rethink “what we’ve always done” and come up with a better and more cost effective way to celebrate. I can understand where perhaps many might not like the idea of breaking with tradition, but perhaps it is time to do just that.
There are enough indoor, evening, dress up, pay at the door events. This is for the community as a whole.
Dallas “Pride” as it is has gone down since I first attended in 2003. I remember being on a float and having crap thrown at us. Drunks trashing the street…bars over charging…Pride has not been celebrated or honored in years!
i agree with the others, there hasnt been a good parade in years!. michael & the tavern guild must be in la la land. getting mostly twinkies to pay to get into lee park is a joke. just go out on any weekend, they buy drinks & share with one another. or purchase the cheapest liquor, & i know most dont ever tip the bar tenders. good luck to this, most will stay on the springs in the ac bars & mingle in their cliques. caven & alan ross are rolling over in their graves!
I read thiese comments and think,Really! all the comments talk the parade being a joke and a place to get drunk. Number one, Alcohol has always been a major player in the gay community and there will always be people that drink cheap liquor and there will be people that perfer a higher cost drink. Second, if you have ever went to any festival that has crowed thousands into a confined space, you will know that trash is going to happen. For those of you that talk about that the parade hasn’t been fun since 19XX. Here is a revolation for you. You are getting old! Things that were fun to you ten years ago are not as fun to you now. As far as the charge for entry, so what. Its the price we pay for becoming a more legitimate class of citizen.
@ Stetson…WOW…you must be ancient If I am old…I have lived here for 8 yrs, have attended 8 parades, and I am 26 years old…and I agree that they aren’t what they used to be. yes, trash happens, and so does the kind that litters the street 🙂 but when you see people standing 2 feet from a trashcan, and they’re too lazy to walk …or STEP over and throw something away, and will just throw it down…thats just laziness. and for you comment about alcohol being a major player in the “gay community”…I’m sorry…ever been to lower greenville for the St Pattys parade? a generally what….oh yes, STRAIGHT event…alcoholism / alcohol comsumption exists in every facet of life…stop making excuses for yourself that your drinking problem is because you’re gay…because that’s bullsh*t! Alcohol is a major player in many events, big and small, straight or gay…so get off you soapbox…because believe it or not, just because you see the same cliques out every weekend, there are just as many, or MORE of us that either stay home and sober, or have the self control, or yes, lack of interest to get completely trashed and ignorant when we do go out.
The entire “pride” thing is a joke. There is no pride. Its an excuse to be exhibionistic and to get stinking drunk. Sad, sad, sad.
this is what you get when you allow a community event to be sponsored by a group of business people whose main concern is getting a large amount of people into their bars and drinking their overpriced drinks. Lee Park is a PUBLIC PARK and the idea that a business group could fence it and charge admission goes against everything the idea of a public park should be. OF course, if the Tavern Guild is decrying the amount of “drunks” at the parade, they have no one to blame but themselves. Pride Schmide
It’s a great idea. I wish it would have happened sooner. I reread the article and the negative comments above seem extreme and unfounded.
Brett- Lee Park is PRIVATE and organizers have to pay thousands of dollars to hold an event there- honestly I have never understood why our pride event is NOT held at Reverchon Park which IS public and only a few blocks away..
I guess some of us have gone through the binge-drinking thing, but the parade has gotten totally out of control. Maybe if you cut out the parade and just did the events in the park, people would be less intoxicated. I often wonder how the police just sit idly by while people drink themselves beyond the legal limit on the streets of Dallas. So just making the park more secure (or controlled) may not even make that much of a difference. Most of the drunks will have had more than enough at the parade and will pay the $5 and still cause your issues.
Do like some have suggested, re-think the meaning of Pride and grow. Set a new example for the community and see where that leads.
I just hope this change doesn’t turn into another Six Flags rip-off: where you pay the cover, walk inside, a bottle water costs $7, a hotdog costs $12 and people stop attending.
But, just like everything else…we’ll just have to try this once and see what we learn from it – good or bad.
Wow, Justin Nichols you are spot on! You took the words right out of my mouth, only elaborating what I wanted to say better than I could. Having read this article over the weekend and becoming infuriated, I was set to put pen to paper. You have stated exactly what I was thinking. In addition, I think the Tavern Guild has some more thinking to do on this. Perhaps its too much to make all these changes at one time? Moreover, I’m not sure that this is an event you should charge for. Undecided about the fence around the park, don’t really like that idea unless you can exit and enter from each side of the park.
– J.R. Sullivan (Plano)
@J.R. Sullivan: Just to clarify, the Tavern Guild has no choice about whether to fence in the park for the Festival in Lee Park this year. That is a new requirement by the city of Dallas for such outdoor events. It is my understanding that organizers for the Halloween party on the street will also have to fence in the area this year due to city requirements
@Tammye Nash: Tammy, thank you for that clarification. I guess if I had been more thorough in my second read of this artice I would have caught it. Truly, I thank you for bringing this to my attention.
I really wish I’ve had pictures of the streets from years past. There is a difference in dropping a can or bottle on the street but when you leave multiple 12-pack of empty beer bottles right there as well as trash, food, plastic jello shot cups, water bottles, unwanted throws …that’s not pride. When your number 1 concern for going to an event is “how drunk can I get?” it isn’t pride. I’ve been to the Greenville Ave parade and the amount of trash generated by a crowd half the size of the St Patty’s parade it twice as much. So much they have to put in big commercial dumpsters down there so the street sweepers can dump the trash out. I’ve never seen those dumpsters around Greenville Ave. The Police are very strick on Greenville Ave about drinking …it’s anything goes at the Pride Parade. I’m sure the neighborhood (OUR NEIGHBORHOOD) really appreciates the mess left behind.
The $5 entrance fee is not an issue for me. Overcharging for very limited food and drink choices in the park is! Last year there were very few food & drink vendors. If there is going to be an entrance fee, please bring in some quality food & beverages for the public.
I refuse to pay entrance for a public park, where the hell my tax paying money is going, has anybody considered that??? this country is twisted and it’s starting to piss me off !!! In such bad economy they have the brilliant idea to squeeze more money out of the people !!
Daniela, the admission fee is not being charged by the city or any taxing authority. It is (or was, at this point) charged by the Dallas Tavern Guild, a private membership organization. What you pay in the form of taxes to the city and/or county is unrelated, as the admission fee was not collected by any taxing authorities.