Scenes from Arlington Pride 2023, above and below. (Photos by Chad Mantooth)
Arlington Pride organizers expect at least 7,000 for party featuring headliner Betty Who, drag stars Alyssa Edwards and Jujubee, more
MELISSA WHITLER | NBCU Fellow
Melissa@DallasVoice.com
The Pride celebrations continue this Saturday, June 8, with Arlington Pride at Levitt Pavilion. The festivities start at 6 p.m. and will include entertainment, drag and — organizers promise — a lot of fun.
There will be vendors and non-profit organizations tabling, food trucks and plenty of performances. Last year’s event boasted record-breaking attendance, and this year is expected to exceed that, with an estimated 7,000 attendees likely to show up.
Headlining this year’s Arlington Pride is Betty Who, coming all the way from Australia. The pop singer combines her classical training with inspiration from ’80s synth music to create her own unique sound. Earlier this year she took her final bow on Broadway as Persephone in Hadestown. After performing in Dallas, she’ll join Maren Morris to open in Colorado.
Country music singer Dixon Dallas will also be performing. His last name is a bit of a red herring, as the singer is originally from Alabama. While Dallas chooses not to publicly disclose his sexuality, many of his songs center around gay relationships. He has said he enjoys being provocative in a more conservative music genre.
Earlier this year Dallas released a more toned-down song, “Leave This All Behind,” displaying his range. He’s sure to bring some country spice to Pride.
There will also be a lot of local talent on stage. Everybody’s favorite Texas cowboy, Kameron Ross, will be performing. Ross has released two singles already this year,
“I Can’t Forget Him” in February and “Sounds Like Love” in March.
One of the biggest up-and-coming gay Dallas artists, Ross continues to stay connected to the community. This year he performed at Equality Texas’ Love Equality event, and the Deep Ellum Community Arts Festival. Later this month, he’ll be traveling to Florida to celebrate at COCKtail’s EPIC Pride event.
The emcee for the evening will be drag queen Liquor Mini. She’s performed locally at Hamburger Mary’s, DIFFA Dallas and Mesa Mezcal. Her over-the-top personality and unique style always bring an extra spark to any event. Later this month she’ll be performing at the Shake It Up Drag Brunch at Shakertinis Midtown along with Blue Valentine, Ramaya Lord and Lechè Diamanté.
Joining Liquor Mini on stage will be DJ Al Farb. Voted Best DJ in the Dallas Voice Readers Choice Awards, Farb is a life-long lover of the scene, but it wasn’t until 2020 that he had the time to craft his own style of music.
During the day, Farb helps run New Country 96.3 in Dallas/Fort Worth, hosting the radio broadcast weekdays from 3-7pm.
Drag queens Alyssa Edwards and Jujubee will also be strutting their stuff in Leavitt Pavilion.
Alyssa, who grew up in Mesquite where — as her alter ego — she founded and runs the award-winning dance school Beyond Belief, appeared in the fifth season of RuPaul’s Drag Race and the second season of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars.
In April, Alyssa embarked on her Glitz & Giggle Tour, traveling to 12 different cities across the United States. In addition to performing at Arlington Pride, she will also be entertaining at Pride events in Colorado and Colombia. She’s known as The Grand Dame Diva from the South, and you don’t want to miss Alyssa Edwards’ performance.
Jujubee made her national debut on the second season of RuPaul’s Drag Race and later returned for the first and fifth seasons of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars. With her appearance on the first season of RuPaul’s Drag Race: UK vs. the World, she became the only queen to advance to the finale of the competition franchise four times.
She has also dabbled in creating original music and earlier this year released the single “Til Death Becomes Us” with fellow queen Trinity the Tuck. After Arlington Pride, Jujubee will be traveling to the Philippines to perform at the Out, Loud and Proud Drag Pride Fiesta. Thankfully, we don’t have to travel that far to see her serve.
Organizations all across the Metroplex will be set up throughout the event. There will be 120 vendors, with multiple food trucks and bars. Whether you’re looking to connect with activist organizations such as Equality Texas, Planned Parenthood or the Human Rights Campaign, or if you are interested in more social groups like LGBT Outdoors, DFW Fuse and GenderBrave, or maybe a dating service like Fern Connections, there is guaranteed to be a table that interests you.
Arlington Pride is put on by the HELP Center for LGBT Health and Wellness. The HELP Center has been providing the community with HIV/AIDS care and STI preventative services for 27 years, and its services are available to anyone who needs them at no cost, eliminating one of the biggest barriers in healthcare. In addition to providing PrEP, HELP Center distributes condoms, offers HIV testing STI prevention education and works to mobilize the community.
The organization’s director of marketing, Cody Hutchinson, is in charge of organizing Arlington Pride, and he has worked hard all year to ensure this event is a success.
“This year, the planning has been incredibly smooth sailing,” said Hutchinson. “The anticipation from the team is palpable.”
This is Arlington Pride’s third year. Since 2022, the event has continued to grow exponentially, Hutchinson said.
“Attendence at Arlington Pride 2023 swelled to over five times that of the first year, with more than 5,200 vibrant, engaged, inclusive and enthusiastic supporters of the LGBTQ+ community joining in the merriment,’’ he recalled.
You won’t want to miss Arlington Pride this year. It’s sure to be an unforgettable night. While the event is free, registration online is required. All the excitement will take place at Levitt Pavilion from 6-11pm Saturday, June 8, with doors opening at 5 p.m.
To register for your free ticket, HELPCenterTx.TicketSpice.com/ArlingtonPride.