Organizers of the annual Houston Pride LGBTQ+ Celebration Festival and Parade have had to pivot twice to accommodate for the World Cup and inclement weather, but now that a new date is on the books, there’s only one concern: Texas heat.
Now the parade is planned for 7 p.m. August 15, and Pride Houston 365 board president Kerry-Ann Morrison was working feverishly on Monday to schedule donations of water, ice, misting stations and METRO cooling buses. The parade route runs two miles from Montrose and Allen Parkway to Milam and Pease streets.
Morrison knows, however, that it’ll all come together. After all, unity is what the Pride Parade is all about. “It’s a moment of freedom and acceptance where we come together to express our true selves,” she said. “We’re showing up to show that you cannot stop us. We are far too great in numbers, unity and advocacy. On this one day, you’re going to see us in all our boldness and know that we’re not going anywhere.”
Organizers are planning to have main stage performances at 3 or 5 p.m. prior to the parade but are still working with the City of Houston to sort out the logistics. Morrison advised that interested participants should keep an eye on the Pride Houston 365 social media pages for updates. The festival, which costs more than $400,000 to put on, already happened on June 6 before the parade got rained out and there won’t be another one in August, Morrison said.
Houston’s Pride celebration, along with those across the country, is typically held each year on or around June 28 to commemorate the 1969 Stonewall Riots that occurred during a police raid on the Stonewall Inn, a New York City gay bar. When that date didn’t work because of World Cup festivities, Pride Houston 365 moved the event to June 6, and proceeded with a daytime festival but canceled the parade because of the weather.
Although the rain eventually stopped in the late afternoon and didn’t return that evening, Morrison said she believes they did the right thing by taking advice from Houston’s emergency management officials to call it off.
“There was a car that was flooded along the parade staging route,” she said. “There was rain from earlier in the day that built up. Cars were jumping the median into traffic to try to not drown their cars. It caused a lot of chaos. We had a lot of folks that were calling that said Studemont was flooded and Highway 45 was closed. They couldn’t get in. Sponsors were panicking. When the city suggested we cancel, it was an easy decision for me because safety is first. That was my top priority.”
They were hoping to reschedule to Halloween but that date didn’t work for the city, she said.
Anyone who was registered to participate in the parade can still do so and VIP grandstand seating and biergarten tickets purchased for the June 6 event will be honored. The parade is free for spectators of all ages.
Morrison, who came to the United States from Jamaica more than 30 years ago, said the first experience where she felt like she belonged was at a Pride parade in New York City. “That’s where I found my family and I found my voice,” she said. “I realized that I didn’t have to live for anyone and I didn’t have to come out to anyone and I didn’t need anyone’s acceptance. I just needed to love me.”
“Do you see what’s going on in the world today?” she added. “We need to create space where people can live authentically and build community. I think it’s important to have spaces where you can feel seen and supported and meet your chosen family.”
