The Alan Ross Texas Freedom Pride Parade and Festival has steadily grown into one of the biggest and most enthusiastic gay pride celebrations in the southern half of the United States. It's actually the formal name for Dallas Gay Pride, which this year observes its 30th anniversary (at least in its current form), with its celebration set for September 15, 2013. Dallas actually began holding a Gay Pride celebration in 1972, in solidarity with and commemoration of the 1969 Stonewall Riots that are the basis for many Pride events held around the country in June.
Check out our video on attending Dallas Gay Pride
Book rooms and compare rates on hotels in Dallas during Gay Pride.
Razzle Dazzle Dallas in June:
Local GLBT organizers have created this fun-filled Gay Pride for early June. Razzle Dazzle Dallas takes place this year from June 6 through June 8, 2013, and includes parties and charity fundraisers, pub crawls, a Wine & Dog Walk, a Cedar Spring Merchants Sidewalk Sale and Fair, Tea Dances, and a Mr. and Miss Razzle Dazzle Dallas party. Here's a full calendar - most activities took place in and around the city's famously GLBT-popular Oak Lawn neighborhood, or at Razzle Dazzle's official hotel headquarters, the dapper Magnolia Dallas Hotel. Entertainment this year includes R&B legend Thelma Houston, performing at a Friday-night benefit. Beneficiaries of Razzle Dazzle's fund-raising events include a number of local charitable organizations that work with the LGBT community.
Alan Ross Texas Freedom Parade and Festival in September:
The Dallas Tavern Guild took over the operation of Dallas Pride in 1982, moved it to September, and called it the Texas Freedom Parade. It was later renamed in honor of one of the parade's key architects, the former Guild director Alan Ross. Since 1983, The Alan Ross Texas Freedom Pride Parade and Festival is held the third Sunday in September - in 2013, it occurs on Sunday, September 15.
More details about Dallas Gay Pride will be posted here as they become available - here's a look at last year's event:
On Sunday at 2 pm, the Alan Ross Texas Freedom Pride Parade commences in the tres-gay Oak Lawn neighborhood at 2 pm. It begins at the junction of Cedar Springs Road and Wycliff Avenue, marching south down Cedar Springs Road, and ending at Robert E. Lee Park.
The same day as the parade, from noon until 8 pm the same day, the Texas Freedom Pride Festival takes place in the park, featuring a variety of musicians, speakers, and performers, among them The Beef, Mi Diva Loca, The Bright, and Chaz Marie.
Also be sure to check out the full list of events related to Pride mentioned on the Alan Ross Texas Freedom Pride website, which includes everything from a Bear Roundup to Pride Karaoke contests to a Suzanne Westenhoefer concert to the Dallas Red Party fundraiser.
Additionally, numerous gay bars as well as gay-popular restaurants, hotels, and shops have special events and parties throughout Pride Week. Check local gay papers, such as Dallas Voice and This Week In Texas, for details. Also check out the excellent site on gay and lesbian travel produced by the Dallas Convention & Visitors Bureau.
