The 34th annual Austin Pride Parade, according to event coordinators, brought more than 200,000 people to Congress Avenue on Saturday. Following a roughly 1.2 mile course, it started at the Texas State Capitol and ended at the Congress Avenue Bridge.

Despite Pride month taking place in June, the Austin Pride Parade is held two months later in August. Event organizers say that allows for more college students to partake in the parade, as well as increased availability for performers and, sometimes, cooler weather.  

Better entertainment options are also more accessible to Pride organizers in the late summer since there is less competition for Pride performances and vendors than in June.

Although Pride festivities have taken place in Austin since the 1970s, the parade started in 1990 with the establishment of the Gay and Lesbian Pride Fiesta. The Austin Gay and Lesbian Pride Foundation moved the event to September in 2011. It has been held in August since 2015. In 2020 and 2021, the official event was called off due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Prior to the parade, a festival from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. was held at Fiesta Gardens. The theme for this year’s parade and festival was “Queer Cabaret: Unleashed Glamour + Glitz.” The festival included appearances by performers like rapper Saucy Santana who headlined the event.

Hundreds of floats and community groups joined in to walk the parade course including Austin ISD. AISD took part in the parade with the AISD All-Star Band, district employees, family members and students, all wearing shirts that read “Austin ISD celebrates Pride, Y’all.”

The district didn’t officially start participating in the parade until 2015, but since then it has been an annual event. This year, Matias Segura became the fourth Austin ISD superintendent to partake in the parade. Segura was there to continue to represent and celebrate the AISD community.

Austin ISD made its presence known at the 2024 Austin Pride Parade. As many students, families, staff and Superintendent Matias Segura walked the course, the Austin All-Star band played songs like “Born This Way” by Lady Gaga. Even with schools on summer break, Segura highlighted the importance of Austin ISD showing up.

“In Austin ISD, we celebrate diversity,” he said. “We celebrate being comfortable in your own skin. To do that, you have to be present, and that’s what this is. We have to show our families and our students where our values are. It’s important that we are here.”

Segura emphasized that school districts have to reflect and embrace their communities.

“I tell people all the time, if you pick Austin ISD up and move us around the state, it would probably be different, but to be in a really … loving school district, you have to represent the community that you serve,” he said. “Whether its leadership, whether its processes, whether it’s things that you support your community in doing, you have to do it. You’ve got to be supportive. I’m just so proud that we can do it together.”

Mayor Kirk Watson joined in on Saturday’s Pride Parade festivities. Watson walked the roughly 1.2 mile parade course greeting the crowd and handing out heart-shaped rainbow stress balls. Watson was followed by a group of supporters who held signs promoting his 2024 mayoral re-election campaign. Prior to the start of the parade, Watson shared with MacJournalism that he had attended the parade more times than he can count and has always loved the event.

“It’s what I love about Austin,” he said. “We all come together as a community, and we celebrate each other. My favorite part of it is the joy. It is a true celebration of pride, and people are happy and they enjoy being together.”

Watson said the parade conveys what Austin is all about.

“Austin is the kind of place where you can find yourself and be yourself and be proud of that. We all embrace each other.”

The Austin Fire Department made its way through downtown Austin with many firefighters and families aboard one of its fire trucks. Jerome Estrada, a fire specialist with the Austin Fire Department, was excited to take part in his third Austin Pride Parade. For Estrada, the first openly gay male firefighter in the Austin Fire Department, the parade holds special meaning.

“Inclusion and diversity is so important in the fire department,” he said “To be able to be myself, my true self, in the fire service is humbling and yet such a freeing experience, it means everything to me. To be an openly gay man in the fire department, it’s special.”

Estrada shared why he felt it was important for him to continue taking part in the parade.

“As the first male representative I brought my husband,” he said. “I wanted to show that ‘Hey, we’re out here. We’re out and proud and we’re serving our community.’” he said. “If me coming out means that other gay men and women can openly serve in the Fire Department then it was worth every heartache that I endured up until this point.”

Area businesses had a strong showing at this year’s Pride Parade. Companies like H-E-B, Visa, Starbucks, Apple and many more made their mark on this year’s parade with some of the night’s most eye-catching floats.

Estee Reiss joined Canva, an online graphic design platform, because her sister works for the company. It was her first ever Austin Pride Parade.

“It was so much fun, it was so cool, such a supportive community,” she said. “Everyone was so excited and dancing. It was honestly really fun to be with the Canva float, too.”

Reiss enjoyed seeing the variety of floats and taking in the festive atmosphere, which was enhanced by the location and the involvement of so many families.

“It’s so cool being able to walk down South Congress and have the entire street closed off,” she said. “Seeing all the kids around and being able to give them stickers and things, that was a blast. It exceeded all expectations.”

Attendees at Saturday’s Pride Parade stand in front of historic Paramount Theater awaiting the parade festivities to come. Among the thousands of people lining the streets for the parade, Darin Fowler, a 2024 McCallum High School graduate, was there to take it all in.

“I had a lot of fun,” he said. “This is my first time going to any Pride event ever, and it was so beautiful to see everyone coming together and supporting each other. My favorite part was getting together with my friends and spreading love and positivity…and also dancing.”

As a former AISD student, Fowler appreciated the district’s participation in the parade and the message it sends to the Austin and AISD community.

“It’s so amazing seeing a school that supports me, supports all people and promotes inclusivity,” he said. “There is so much hate in this world. It’s so important to spread love any chance we get. Any time you have any excuse at all to spread love, take it.”

The Austin All-Star Band, made up of members from Northeast, Akins and Eastside Early College high schools, marched through the parade while playing songs like “Born This Way” by Lady Gaga. The band draws in students from all over the district, as well as directors like Will Kimmel, a band director at Akins Early College High School who has been with the band for the past two years. Kimmel expressed that AISD’s showing at the parade demonstrates its inclusive community.

“I think it means that we are an organization that includes and promotes diversity, and everyone is welcome inside of our band hall,” he said.

He added that it’s a valuable learning experience for the students who participated.

“It lets them see that the world is much bigger than home and school and that there’s many different kinds of people out in the world and that it’s good to be inclusive.”

Akins High School junior Salix Fite, wearing the lesbian flag, marched in the parade for their first time, playing the cymbals. Fite had heard it had been a lot of fun in previous years, but it turned out to be much more than that.

“It’s good for everyone to be here because we all need to celebrate each other,” they said. “We need to celebrate ourselves, and it’s important that we all feel included. A lot of kids might not have supportive families, and it’s good for them to have a space in order to express themselves.”

A young child jumps to the railing to get a better view as the parade kicks off. The start of the parade was led by members of the American Veterans for Equal Rights, Lone Star chapter. AVER is a non-profit veteran service organization that dedicates itself to the equal treatment for all present and former members of the U.S Armed forces. The AVER color guard led the parade holding flags like the PRIDE, trans and American Flag.

One of the most dominant aspects of AISD’s presence at the parade was the vast number of staff members that joined in on the district’s participation. Theater director at Bowie High School, Kade Lesseigne, marched with AISD during the Pride Parade. Lesseigne (not pictured) has attended several Austin Pride Parades in the past and says that he has always valued the experience.

“Pride is so important. It encourages all people of all walks of life to just be themselves and to not be afraid to own their own personality no matter what their sexual orientation is. Pride means for me just to be open, be myself and love who I love.”

Lesseigne knew what to expect for this year’s parade but said that in the past the event was unfamiliar.

“I think my very first Pride parade I was a little bit timid, I was worried, and now here I am, getting to see everybody celebrate life and being themselves.”

For a majority of the 1.2-mile parade route, the Austin Front Runners were seen running and circling a sign that read “Run with Pride.” Holding pride flags high in the air, the Front Runners did what they do best, run. As the sun set and many of the Front Runners slowed to a walk, their PRIDE flags and unique outfits continued to be a significant and eye-catching part of their group. The Austin Front Runners are a LGBTQ+ running club in Austin, started 25 years ago, that supports all levels of runners. The group is involved in Austin’s LGBTQ+ community by attending events like the Pride Parade, as well as hosting events like their second annual Pride on the Trail Fun Run, held back in June during the celebration of PRIDE month.

A large and enthusiastic group of ACC students, employees and Chancellor Russell Lowry-Hart joined in on the Austin Pride Parade on Saturday. ACC has been participating in the parade for many years now, but for Elizabeth Maze of ACC’s Career and Transfer Center (not pictured), this was their first Austin Pride Parade. They felt that it was important for ACC to participate in the event because it is so in line with the college’s values.

“One of our slogans is ‘ACC is for Everyone!’ Our new core values are Courage, Compassion, Joy, and Yes,” they said. “Austin Community College celebrates the courage of queer people living as marginalized people, shows compassion through outreach to the queer community and through supports we have for queer people at the college, takes joy in celebrating our queer students and says YES, you are welcomed and wanted. We will help you overcome the systemic barriers holding you back.”

The lively group of ACC community members waved pride flags, wore matching ACC pride shirts, stood on a large ACC float, held cut outs of their mascot R.B. the Riverbat and much more. For Mazes first Austin Pride Parade, they decided to fully embrace the core value of joy by showing up dressed as Chancellor Lowry-Hart.

“I had a lot of fun dressing in drag as our Chancellor Russell Lowry-Hart,” they said. “I think it’s really telling that our chancellor not only marched with us, bringing along his family, he also enthusiastically consented to me dragging as him. That was pure joy to see people’s faces light up. It’s great having a boss who is so accepting and joyful.”

The numerous people who took part in ACC’s float, including Maze, created a fun environment for Parade attendees and showcased ACC’s passion to be a welcoming and supportive school for all students.

“Austin Community College is a pillar of our community,” they said. “By participating in things like Pride festivals and the Pride parade, we are sending the message that queer people are supported, welcomed, and wanted in Austin and at ACC specifically.”

Lamar Middle School and McCallum High School graduate, Travis County Judge Andy Brown led the parade as the Ally Grand Marshal. Surrounding him on the large Cabaret float were the other parade grand marshals, including, Muneeb “Meebs” Aslam, finance director for Texas Young Democrats and a Travis County Democratic Party precinct chair; World Famous *BOB*, performing artist and confidence coach;  and Morgan Davis, activist and Austin LGBTQ+ Quality of Life and Human Rights Commissioner.

In an Instagram post, Brown said he was thankful for the chance to participate in the event.

“Beyond grateful for the opportunity to open the Austin Pride Parade as the Ally Grand Marshal. Celebrating alongside incredible leaders…made it even more special. Happy Pride!”

At this year’s Pride Parade, the HEB float carried a DJ blasting music throughout the entirety of the parade, teeming with countless HEB employees wearing matching PRIDE rainbow heart T-shirts to support Austin’s LGBTQ+ community. Many waved PRIDE flags and held signs; one read, “Here, everyone belongs.”

HEB’s participation in the Austin Pride Parade is one way that HEB supports diversity, equity and inclusion. Through its Be The Change initiative, HEB aims to empower underrepresented communities, organizations and brands. Through their work with the LGBTQ+ community, HEB has supported organizations like Coastal Bend PRIDE Center, Thrive Youth Center, Black Tie Dinner and Out Youth.

The Montrose Center, a Houston organization founded in 1978, came to be after a 1977 protest against anti-LGBTQ+ singer Anita Bryant drew 11,000 people to the streets of Houston. The Montrose Center is a support center for the LGBTQ+ community in Houston, and since 2011, HEB’s Be The Change initiative has provided them with food in order to address food insecurity.

All photos and captions by Lillian Gray.