OKC Pride Alliance will host its annual Pride Festival and Parade at Scissortail Park and Downtown OKC
Oklahoma City Pride Alliance (OKCPA), a local non-profit organization that creates programs and activities to enrich, empower, strengthen and make visible the unique lives and experiences of LGBTQ2S+ people in OKC and across the state of Oklahoma, has announced that it will hold the Inaugural Downtown Pride Festival & Parade at Scissortail Park, June 25-27, 2021.
Historically, the Pride Festival and Parade has been held in the 39th Street District. The 2021 Pride Festival and Parade will mark the first time for both the Pride Festival and Parade to be held in the core of the city in Downtown. The parade will begin on West Sheridan at North Shartel and turn south onto Hudson. It will continue south on Hudson and will end at Scissortail Park.
“The move downtown and specifically to Scissortail Park is a historic step forward for the city and allows us to celebrate the LGBTQ2S+ on the city’s main stage,” says Hannah Royce, OKCPA President. “The motto of Scissortail Park is that it’s a park for everyone, and those who know Oklahoma City’s LGBTQ2S+ history will recall that the city’s original gay bar was in downtown. This move for us symbolizes a return to our roots and staking our claim in the heart of the city.”
This historic event will encompass music, film, and art in a way the state has never seen before. Elements of the festival will also be presented in a virtual format for those who aren’t comfortable attending the in-person events this June.
“We warmly welcome the Pride Festival to Scissortail Park and are looking forward to all the fun and festivities it will bring to the Park and downtown,” said Maureen Heffernan, CEO of Myriad Botanical Gardens and Scissortail Park.
The OKC Pride Alliance will share additional details in the late March + throughout the spring about the upcoming festival, including a call for volunteers, parade participants, and festival vendors. To stay up to date on the latest announcements surrounding the 2021 Pride Festival & Parade, please follow the OKC Pride Alliance on social media and visit www.oklahomacitypride.org.