Austin Pride 2019: The Date Is Set
The festival and parade return in early August
By Sarah Marloff, 2:40PM, Thu. Jan. 10, 2019
Dust off your mirrorballs, feather your hair, and – if you’re feeling frisky – lace up those discothèque roller skates: Austin Pride has set its date for 2019 and they’re ready to boogie with you! So getcher rainbows ready, ex-out Saturday, August 10, now cuz we guarantee you’ll want to be one of Pride’s many dancing queens in 2019!
If, by now, you haven’t guessed, this year’s theme is Boogie Wonderland, because Pride 2019 is about fully embracing the fun of celebrating pride, queers, and the LGBTQ community. According to Austin Pride President Micah Andress, Boogie Wonderland was chosen after the board received “lots of community input” requesting more fun themes for folks to get into. So if you were reading this thinking, “should I dress up like Charlie’s Angels?” The answer is, without a doubt, yes!
Though Pride Week kicks off on August 2, with eight days of nonstop queer events, the celebration culminates the second Saturday in August. The festival (which takes place during the day, 11am-6pm) will again return to Fiesta Gardens where attendees can expect to find loads of queer resources, kickass vendors, a plethora of yet to be disclosed performers big and small, games, carnival rides, and Drag Queen Story Time for the kiddos too. Once the day is done, re-apply the glitter, drink some much needed water, and hustle downtown for the parade. Dozens of local organizations, party promoters, queer workout icons, drag queens, bars, Qmmunity, and more put together some dazzling floats – and walking contingents – to flood Congress Avenue and Fourth Street in a wave of rainbows. (That happens 8-11pm.) When all is said and glittered, more than 400,000 folks are expected to attend.
Andress, who took over as board president early last year, tells us 2018 saw Pride’s largest festival turnout ever, so they decided to keep the celebration in early August. But aside from keeping the dates lined up, Andress promises new things for 2019 – including a “big” partnership with Austin Black Pride that’s currently in the works. Behind the scenes, he also notes that the board is “super proud” to announce that Maria Rodriguez – formerly Pride’s treasurer – has become the board’s first queer woman of color vice president. And, while no performers' names have yet to be shared, Andress reiterates: “There will be disco!”
Austin Pride 2019, Saturday, Aug. 10.
Pride Festival: Fiesta Gardens, 2101 Jesse Segovia St., 11am-6pm. $20 at the gate, discounted tickets available through Jan 15. For free entry, volunteer. Registration is open on Austin Pride website.
Pride Parade: Kicks off at the Texas State Capitol; marches down Congress Ave.; turns right on Fourth Street, and ends at Rain on 4th, 217 W Fourth St. Free. 8-11pm
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June 25, 2021
Austin Pride, Austin Pride 2019, Austin Place Pride, Micah Andress, Maria Rodriguez
