Revelers Descend Upon Oak Lawn for Annual Pride Parade

Spectators with blankets and lawn chairs were already scouting out locations along Cedar Springs Road in Oak Lawn early on Sunday, Sept. 18, before the 28th annual Alan Ross Texas Freedom parade kicked-off, but the crowd was generally well-behaved and Dallas police seemed to interact well with the crowd which at times would bulge into the parade route threatening to obstruct flow.

Dallas' annual Pride celebration is a big event with high expectations. Long hours of preparation as well as hard work and monetary investment from promoters, organizations and individuals went in to make the event memorable. With nearly a year of planning behind them, it was time to be proud and have fun on Sunday. And for the most part, that's exactly what happened.

One incident occurred when GetEQUAL TX, a group not registered to be in the parade, tried to join a few blocks from where it ended at Lee Park.

Spokesman Michael Diviesti said the group had previously entered at the end in parades in Austin and San Antonio and tried to request permission to do so in Dallas, but calls were not returned. Police stopped the group, explaining and indicated the chants could lead to rioting.

Diviesti said that corporate floats may be crowding out smaller self-funded groups that take longer to plan and organize. Representatives from the Dallas Tavern Guild, the group that organizes the parade, did not immediately respond to EDGE's request for comment.

Many LGBT organizations and church groups, however, were represented. Employees from J.C. Penney, American Airlines, Wells Fargo and other large corporations also marched.

A quick sample of the crowd revealed that several revelers had traveled to Dallas from outside Texas-Dallas Pride weekend typically draws visitors from across the state and beyond its borders.

Several long breaks between the roughly 80 floats in the parade caused many to prematurely head to the festival at Lee Park.

Some learned of a newly imposed cover charge only upon reaching the entrance. And while attendance was expected to be down, the park seemed full and reports indicate the number of venders inside was slightly less than in 2010.

Pride season continues in the Metroplex with Tarrant County Pride in downtown Fort Worth at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 1.

A sweet serenade

On fire at the Alan Ross Texas Freedom parade

A good day to show your Pride!

Love and Pride spring eternal at the parade.

Bring on the cowboys!

Members of the Dallas City Council march in the parade.

Onyx marches in the parade.

The parade was a family affair for some participants.

Members of the Cathedral of Hope march.

A proud parent shows her love for her gay son.

More of those Texas cowboys!

A Texas beauty shows the crowd some love.

Another successful Pride in Dallas!