Pride festival celebrates Houston's GLBT community

Houston's annual pride festival and parade happens tomorrow and this year's theme is Lone Star Pride. Yeehaw! Everyone - gay, straight, or anything in between - is invited to come out and celebrate Houston's gay community with a festival and parade that attracts visitors from all over the region. Here's a rundown of what's going on:

The festival kicks off at 2 p.m and lasts until about 8, with the parade beginning shortly thereafter. The festival entrance is at Westheimer and Commonwealth and tickets are $10 (you can buy them ahead of time online). There will be entertainment all day on two stages. Performers include Nemesis, the identical twins featured on a Logo TV show (which is now available in Houston - thanks, Comcast), young pop-rock artist Josh Duffy, singer-songwriter Amy Cook, versatile songstress Laurel, Ms. Beautiful, and DJs Vic Vegas and Mr. Bristle. Houstonian and former American Idol contestant Kimberly Caldwell will also crown Houston's first Pride Idol. We're excited to see Houston's undiscovered GLBT talent.

For the kids, there will be a moonwalk, waterslide, face painters and many more activities. Vendors will be selling snacks and drinks, and there will be plenty to do right up until...

The parade starts at 8:45. Over 1000 people will participate in the parade, which travels down Westheimer from Woodhead to Whitney in front of over 150,000 spectators. Houston's Pride Parade is the original nighttime parade as well as the largest GLBT event in the Southwest.

There's more to say about this event than we could possibly fit in a post, so be sure to check out the Pride website, especially the info on this weekend's parties, parade viewing tips and awards, and the FAQ for information on parking, what to bring, and everything else. Come out (no pun intended) tomorrow to lasso a cutie or just watch the parade!

Houston Pride Festival & Parade:
When: Sat Jun 23, 2pm (parade begins at 8:45pm).
Where: Westheimer & Commonwealth