Austin hosted its largest-ever PRIDE celebration last week, festivities which included the involvement of many of our own Hilltoppers. 

According to Benny VandenAvond, the Vice President of the Austin Gay and Lesbian Pride Foundation, PRIDE celebrations got a makeover in 2011. Since then, attendance to events has more than double in numbers. This year, the festival, hosted during the daytime and followed by the parade at night, brought in an estimated 5,500 people.

The Run

This year PRIDE hosted a Rainbow Run 5K to kick off the celebration. The run went from 9-11 a.m. and begun/ended on the South First Street Bridge. PRIDE decided to call the event Rainbow Run not only to celebrate the gay community in Austin but also because by the end of the face runners were covered head-to-toe in “Rainbow Magic,” just a fancy name for colored powder. 

The Festival

This year’s Festival was held at Fiesta Gardens from 11 a.m. until 6 at night. The main stage had a popular and diverse line up of headliners, and the second was filled with DJ sets. There were 20 acts in all, with performances from artists such as Andy Bell of Erasure, JoJo of the Mary Jane Girls and Nancy Whang of LCD Soundsystem. The park was cluttered with games, activities, food, drinks and at least 120 booths by local non-profits looking to show their support for the gay community.  

The Parade

The PRIDE parade began at 8 p.m. where 11th and San Jacinto intersect. High energy and positivity filled the downtown area. The participation rates were high this year as this was the largest parade in the history of PRIDE, with 105 contingents and 3,300 participants. New contingents included Facebook, Austin Gears, Round Rock Independent School District and ROTC Austin, among others.

The only issue which prevented things from going smoothly was frequent traffic jams near the 4th and Lavaca intersection. Officers often had to deal with avid PRIDE supporters running into the middle of the street. 

PRIDE at St. Edward’s 

St. Edward’s PRIDE participated in the parade for the third year in a row. PRIDE is known on campus as mostly a social group, they host events such as discussion groups, workshops and a dance each semester. 

“It’s our staple,” says Grace Maverick, the executive director. All PRIDE events are hosted on campus, and Maverick adds that it’s a great option for those looking for a social group. 

The number of event attendees depends on the medium. On a collegiate level there are 120 members, dances usually bring in 80 or 90 students each time. Meetings and most other events, however, usually bring no more than 40 or so people. PRIDE is currently the only gay rights activist group on campus. Because of this, Maverick commented that the group sometimes feels a lot of pressure.

Maverick also touched on the politics of being an LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered and Queer community) group at a Catholic University. “We don’t have a lot of leeway with what we can do.” Maverick went on, “we can’t advocate for things against the catholic church, mainly gay marriage.” This was the first year that St. Edward’s PRIDE held a banner citing the university’s name.