Tarrant County Gay Pride for 2015 kicks off Wednesday, Sept. 30, with a celebration hosted by the Tarrant County Gay Pride Week Association, featuring Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price, at Trinity Park Arts Pavilion. The park is located at 2401 University Drive, and the pavilion is located inside the park, near Crestline Drive and Trinity Park Drive.
The Tarrant County Gay Pride Parade, now in its 33rd year and focused on the national Gay Pride theme of “Color Our World With Pride,” begins at noon on Saturday, Oct. 3, at Weatherford Street, going south on Houston Street to 9th Street, before turning east to end at Main and 9th.
The Pride Street Festival featuring live entertainment, vendors and food truck concessionaires takes place at Main and 9th, in front of the Fort Worth Convention Center, from noon to 6 p.m. Both the parade and the festival are sponsored by Ben E. Keith Beverages of Fort Worth
The next day, Sunday, Oct. 4, is the Pride Picnic, from noon to 6 p.m. at Trinity Park Arts Pavilion, sponsored by Ben E. Keith Beverages – Bud Light.
The picnic — one of Tarrant County’s oldest Pride celebrations — includes a DJ and live entertainment on the Bud Light stage, group activities, competitions and Pride Kids Zone. There will also be a Vendors Market and booths from community organizations offering education and support services. Food concessions will offer the traditional hamburgers and hot dogs along with a variety of new food options.
Beverage concessions will also be operated by Tarrant County Gay Pride Week Association, with volunteers from community organizations as servers. Proceeds from concessions help pay for permits and other fees associated with staging the parade, festival and picnic each year.
No outside canopies and fixtures are allowed at the picnic, except those brought in by contracted vendors. No coolers or outside foods and beverages are allowed either.
Those attending are welcome to bring chairs, blankets and beach umbrellas.
Rounding out the 2015 Tarrant County Gay Pride Week celebration is the 17th annual Q Cinema Film Festival, Oct. 8-10, at the Ridglea Theater, 6025 Camp Bowie Blvd. The festival will feature LGBTQ-oriented films and short subjects from around the world, events featuring filmmakers and actors, nightly parties, live entertainment stage productions and more.
For more information visit QCinema.org.
This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition September 18, 2015.