DAVID TAFFET | Senior Staff Writer
Taffet@DallasVoice.com
Trinity Pride kicks off its Pride street festival on Saturday, June 28, with a march rather than a parade. The march begins at 6 p.m. at Broadway Baptist Church, 305 W. Broadway Ave., and proceeds to the festival entrance where opening remarks will be delivered. The full route is just half a mile.
Roger Calderon is president of Trinity Pride, Fort Worth’s June Pride organization. He said when construction at Magnolia Green Park, site of last year’s Pride event, forced organizers to move the event, his committee decided to entirely rethink and recreate this year’s event.
In rethinking the event, Calderon said they were aware of what else is going on in the area during June. Dallas holds the big parade, and Arlington did a big show. So Calederon’s committee decided a street festival would be Fort Worth’s niche.
He said this was a tough year because Trinity Pride lost all its corporate sponsors — except Marriott, which has 50 people entered in the march. The community and religious congregations saved the event this year, he added.
“About 12 local congregations are participating,” he said.
But Calderon gave special mention to Broadway Baptist, which is opening its parking lot to festival goers. Last year the church opened its choir room to a New York band for rehearsals.
Fort Worth’s Pride may be the only Pride event in the country with a Baptist church listed first in its “thank you’s” and among its sponsors.
For the festival, South Main Street will be closed from West Vickery Boulevard to West Broadway Avenue. Businesses along the street are participating as well as vendors and nonprofits.
Booths will be grouped into “Nonprofit Row” where 24 churches and other local nonprofit organizations will have tables, and the Pride Market which includes 72 vendors displaying their wares, up from just 44 last year.
And businesses along the street owned by LGBTQ merchants and allies will all be participating, Calderon said.
Morgan Mercantile is the official Trinity Pride merch vendor. Volt will be selling a line of Pride items. Marriott will be distributing Pride swag. And at South Main District Salon, Aubrey Campos presents Reflections and Jackie O’s takeover.
Amphibian Stage has a busy evening planned. In its lobby, Yesterqueer, the Fort Worth LGBTQ history project, has a pop-up museum exhibit. And on the Main Stage, the theater company presents the Claws Out comedy and drag show at 8 p.m.
Hop Fusion Ale Works will be showing The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
At 7 p.m., Trvr? performs on the Bearded Lady Stage. Deja Dubois, Kiana Lee, Devotion Dubois and Citronella W. Mack appear at the South Main Micropark.
The Bikini Whales perform on the Bearded Lady Stage at 8 p.m. and again at 9:15 p.m., and in the micropark, Dallas Pride Line Dancers perform.
From 9:15 p.m. to closing, DJ Shane Allen provides the music in the micropark.
A number of businesses surrounding the festival space are opening their parking lots to festival goers. At the top of the list is Broadway Baptist, which is opening its northeast and northwest lots.
On the corner of Jarvis and Jennings streets is the Old Dickies Building parking lot. That lot will be locked at 11:30 p.m. and won’t be accessible again until Monday morning after 8 a.m.
Other lots that will be open include the Jo Agency and George B. Monnig House lot at 115 W. Broadway Ave., the Reece Plumbing parking lot, 311 E. Vickery Blvd. and the lot behind the closed Voo-Doo Brewing building at 1001 South Main St.
These lots will close at 11:45 p.m., so if you’re driving, don’t plan to stay too late.
Calderon suggested that people coming from the Mid-Cities or Dallas “take the TRE that will drop you off right at the festival.” Take the TRE to the last station, which is the T&P Station.
The last train back leaves Fort Worth T&P Station at 10:48 p.m.
Trinity Pride takes place along South Main Street between West Vickery and West Broadway on June 28 from 6-10 p.m. Admission is free.