This week, the city is all about love. With the return of Dallas Pride Week, it’s time to celebrate our LGBTQ+ brothers and sisters and have some fun. We found the best events and happenings leading up to Sunday’s big parade so you can make the most of the holiday.
Have you always wanted to be on Project Runway but lack the fundamental skills to participate? This is the best alternative. Join host Sassy O’Hara this Wednesday, September 12 at Round-Up Saloon for the Pride Edition of Project Funway, a fashion game show. Pin, staple, tape, and bedazzle your way to a winning look. A $100 cash prize is on the line, so you better make it work! The show starts at 10 p.m.
Every year, Round-Up Saloon chooses a man and woman to represent the iconic gay bar at the Pride Parade. Compete in the Mr. and Miss Round-Up Contest, or cheer on hopeful contestants on Thursday, September 13. Festivities begin at 8 p.m.
Start your Pride Weekend off strong on Friday at Resource Center Dallas, where the Women with Pride Dallas Kick-Off will be celebrating LGBTQ super-women of North Texas. The free event from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. includes entertainment (featuring LGBTQ women, of course), food trucks (Easy Slider, Soulgood Food Truck), cocktails, and raffle prizes. P.S. it’s an open bar.
Peker’s Bar is celebrating the holiday weekend with Pride Karaoke on Friday and Saturday night from 9:45 to close.
If you’re looking for a more low-key way to celebrate pride, head to the theatre. As part of its Dallas Pride Month celebration, Echo Theatre is hosting the regional premier of a new comedy titled Hurricane Diane at White Rock Lake’s Bath House Cultural Center. The show runs on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 8 p.m. Find tickets here.
The Dallas Pride Festival is now a two-day event! Everything starts at 11 a.m. on Saturday morning at Reverchon Park, where the day’s main event, Music Festival in the Park, will be held. In addition to a live concert, there will be merchant booths, pet adoptions, entertainment, and family activities. Find more info and purchase tickets ($10 general admission) here.
Within the Pride Festival gates, the 6th Annual Teen Pride celebration will provide a safe, happy space for LGBTQ+ teens, ages 13-19. The teen zone will have vendors, contests, interactive booths, and live performers on the Teen Pride stage. It’s also a great place for teens to learn more about the agencies and organizations serving the LGBTQ+ community in North Texas.
Also within the Pride Festival at Reverchon Park is the Family Pride Zone. This sectioned-off area of the festival will have games, bounce houses, face painters, the Pride Train, and more. The area will not have: alcohol, coolers, or nudity.
The Coalition for Aging GLBT is presenting a public, outdoor photo installation throughout the Dallas Gayborhood this Sunday. The “Gay Not Prey” project aims to bring awareness to the dangers facing gay men as they age.
The 2018 Dallas Pride Parade – a.k.a. the 35th Annual Alan Ross Texas Freedom Parade – will be held on Sunday, September 16 at 2 p.m. The parade commences at Cedar Springs Road and Wycliff Ave., and ends at Cedar Springs Road and Turtle Creek Blvd. It’s always free to attend and watch.
