Oklahoma City (OKC) Pride Alliance to host inaugural Downtown Festival and Parade


OKLAHOMA CITY – The 2021 Oklahoma City Pride Festival & Parade will return to an in-person event on Friday, June 25 through Sunday, June 27, in collaboration with Tulsa Pride to present “Pride on the Mother Road“.

Last summer, the OKC Pride Alliance made the decision to create a 2020 Virtual Pride Week Festival due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

For 2021, OKC Pride will host Oklahoma City’s Inaugural Downtown Pride Festival and Parade as an in-person event. 

OKC Pride Alliance will kick off Oklahoma City Pride Month with an Opening Ceremonies on Tuesday, June 1.

The OKC Pride Alliance Parade will step off at 10 a.m. on Saturday, June 26 in downtown Oklahoma City. The Tulsa Pride Parade (https://www.okeq.org/tulsa-pride.html ) is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. in the Art Deco/East Village in downtown Tulsa.

To register as entertainment or as a vendor for the OKC Pride Festival click here: https://www.oklahomacitypride.org/okcpridefest .

“As COVID-19 vaccinations begin to be administered, we are optimistic that by June we will be able to return back to hosting this event in-person,” said OKC Pride Alliance President, Hannah Royce.

 “We know the pandemic is far from over and the community’s safety is our highest priority. Our board will continue to remain flexible and monitor best practices and CDC guidelines.”

 
That same weekend, Oklahomans for Equality (https://www.okeq.org/ ) will also host its own Pride Parade & Festival in Tulsa.

The two organizations will collaborate on Pride Weekend programming in an effort to show unity and support within the state’s LGBTQ2S+ Community.

Both events will honor and commemorate the centennial of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. The two organizations are calling this “Pride on the Mother Road” and hope this year’s observance will emphasize the importance of healing in an attempt to bridge both communities as they remember the 1921 massacre of Tulsa’s Greenwood neighborhood, also known as ‘Black Wall Street’. 

“Our board is excited to see our festival and parade return to an in-person event, and hope that it will symbolize a move toward community restorative justice, healing, progress and a celebration of perseverance,” said Royce. 

The OKC Pride Alliance (https://www.oklahomacitypride.org/ ) will share additional details in the spring about the upcoming festival, including a call for volunteers, parade participants and festival vendors. 

The Oklahoma City Pride Alliance, a community-run, 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization, is dedicated to producing the annual #OKCPrideFest and Parade, #OKCPrideWeek, and year-round city-wide LGBTQ2S+ Pride events that inspire, educate, commemorate and celebrate our city’s diverse community.
 
For updates on the latest announcements regarding the 2021 Pride Festival & Parade, follow the OKC Pride Alliance on social media (https://www.facebook.com/events/753099778948816/ ) and visit oklahomacitypride.org . 

To learn more about the Tulsa Pride event, visit okeq.org .