DALLAS — After a virtual event in 2020, organizers and performers with Dallas Pride are looking forward to the return of an in-person event June 4 and 5. The 2021 celebration will take place at Fair Park, after moving from the Oak Lawn neighborhood in 2019.
As the pandemic continues organizers opted not to host the parade this year, but they will host two nights of performances in Fair Park.
“We’re going to be showcasing performers from all over North Texas including the Turtle Creek Chorale, the Rose Room cast from Station 4, Kennedy Davenport from RuPaul’s Drag Race, and Kameron Ross from America’s Got Talent,” Dallas Pride Logistics Director Vincent De Luna said.
Drag Queen Marsha Dimes will host the event. She knows Pride is more than a party, it’s a movement that means something different for everyone.
“Pride means celebrating everything that we are. Everything that we bring to the table,” Dimes said. “Each one of us is different, and unique, and we take time during Pride to celebrate who we are and who we love.”
“To me Pride means diversity and community as well as acceptance,” Pride performer DeManda Refund said. “For a lot of people such as myself, I didn’t always grow up feeling accepted until I found this community and I found my community and I found my place within this community. I take part in Pride every single year because of what it has allowed me to do and be the person who I am. I’m a man in a dress. I wouldn’t be able to do that where I grew up and I finally feel comfortable to be able to be myself.”
“Pride is for everyone. And we could not do Pride, we could not be successful, we could not come out and celebrate without the support from our allies,” De Luna said. “Our moms, our dads, our brothers, our sisters, our community leaders, our organizers. To allow us to be ourselves and come out here and just be who we are, in our own skin, and feel safe while we’re doing it.”
Dallas Pride is a non-profit and always accepts donations. After a challenging year, organizers admit this year they are especially needed.
You can find more information about the 2021 event including a full list of performers on their website at dallaspride.org. Tickets for the event are sold out, but there will be a livestream offered.
“It’s going to be a fantastic show and I don’t want anybody to miss out,” Dimes said.