With a New Date and Pandemic-Friendly Format, Dallas Pride Goes On in 2020

In 2019, Dallas Pride made the decision to move its celebration from September in Oak Lawn to Fair Park in June, the time of year most commonly recognized as Pride Month. This year brings yet another big change for annual event — this time for very different reasons. In light of the coronavirus pandemic, Dallas Pride has been moved to July and will take place almost entirely online.

Holding Pride virtually presents a unique opportunity to reach a larger audience from all over Texas and the globe, but the decision made in May wasn’t an easy one.

“Being out and visible in public — together as a community with our supporters and allies — is the heart of the Pride movement,” Dallas Pride executive director Jason Turbow says. “We were in constant touch with Pride organizations from across the country, who were struggling with the same thing.”

The Dallas Pride Livestream, hosted by Ron Corning on dallasprideorg.com and YouTube, will be held on Saturday, July 25^th and feature entertainment from local musicians, bands, celebrity cameos, DJs, and more. The Dallas Pride Drag Brunch, hosted by Marsha Dimes, will be streaming on Sunday, July 26^th, with the official Dallas Pride Parade streaming directly after Decorate yourselves and your vehicle, then “parade” around town and stop by a specified location for pictures.

Given that visitors won’t be able to physically visit the festival vendors this year, Turnbow and his team came up with a new solution. In mid-July, Dallas Pride will launch a new, interactive online marketplace which will remain shoppable through November. A 3D map of the digital festival will feature clickable “tents” for vendors, where virtual visitors can learn more about a particular organization or company, and vendors can get their message out to the community — just as they would at an in-person event. The ease of access may even allow a broader opportunity for people to support businesses and organizations that bolster the LGBTQ+ community.

Virtual celebrations will continue on DallasPride.org and on their social media channels through November 2020. Keep an eye out for digital save the dates for everything from Cooking with Pride and the Dallas Rainbow Run to Drag it Up and Family Pride. Turnbow also suggests continuing to show support to the LGBTQ+ community by wearing your rainbow apparel and decorating your house. We can’t celebrate in person this year, but Pride must go on.