returns in-person this weekend at Fair Park, after cancellations and virtual programming because of the COVID-19 pandemic
The festival and parade take place on Saturday, June 4 and Sunday, June 5, with other pride events throughout the month of June.
鈥淲e鈥檙e looking forward to being back amongst people,鈥� said Rafael McDonnell, the senior advocacy, policy and communications manager for . 鈥淲e haven鈥檛 been meeting together for two years. [And] this has been an incredibly frustrating, discouraging year for members of the community.鈥�
McDonnell said this year鈥檚 celebration is to remind Texas leaders, who have been banning books about LGBTQ+ topics and targeting trans youth healthcare that LGBTQ+ people are not going anywhere.
鈥淭hey can pass whatever law they want, ban whatever book they want, the genie is out of the bottle,鈥� he said.
McDonnell has been going to the parade in Dallas since the 1990s, and served as the co-grand marshal in 2014. The grand marshals in 2022 are the same people from the cancelled 2020 celebration, which include local drag performers and , and former Dallas city council member .
, an actor and drag performer from 鈥淩uPaul鈥檚 Drag Race鈥� and HBO鈥檚 reality show 鈥淲e鈥檙e Here,鈥� is headlining the festival, along with musicians , and .
Jaron Turnbow, Dallas Pride鈥檚 executive director, is grateful to have people gathering in person after a challenging few years.
鈥淏ecause we鈥檝e had to put a pause on things for two years, [it鈥檚 important] that everyone is able to come together, to be themselves together, and remember that we鈥檙e all in this together,鈥� Turnbow said.
Turnbow said the energy is palpable from the team and vendors alike.
鈥淓verybody that I鈥檝e talked to [is] just so excited to be together and be able to hug again,鈥� he said.
More pride events are happening across the city throughout June, including the ; ; and .
Tickets and parking information for Dallas Pride can be found . Tickets for the are $5 for people ages 13-19, and $10 for people 20 and over. The parade on Sunday, June 5 begins at , and is free to attend. Parking in the State Fair parking lots is $10.
Got a tip? Email Elena Rivera at erivera@kera.org. You can follow Elena on Twitter .
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