2026 Festival & Parade – Pride Houston®| The Official Houston Pride® Celebration

Festival & Parade

Dates, maps, tickets, registration, and how to get here – everything in one place.

Days

Hours

Minutes

Seconds

Get Started

Quick Actions

Tickets & Events

Choose your events and secure your spot.

Parade Registration

Festival Registration

Apply for a festival booth – vendors & nonprofits.

Artist & Performers

Apply to be part of the spotlight.

Grand Marshal

Celebrate the leaders who light the way.

Past Years

Relive highlights: photos, routes & themes.

Mark Your Calander

Key Dates

Oct 1

Performer applications open

Nov 15

Vendor applications open

Jan 31

Parade registration early bird ends

Mar 1

Volunteer sign-ups go live

Get Ready

Maps & Schedule

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Plan Your Visit

Getting Here

Parking

Reserve parking near the route and festival grounds.

Hotels & Lodging

Stay close to the celebration – book recommended hotels.

Transportation (Local)

METRO, rideshare, biking, and park-&-ride options.

Flights

Plan flights to Houston (IAH & HOU) and transit to downtown.

Accessibility

ADA viewing areas, wheelchair access, service animal guidance, ASL interpretation schedule, sensory-friendly spaces. and accessible parking.

FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

Who should be nominated?

Nominees should be selected based on their outstanding accomplishments and contributions to the Houston LGBTQIA+ Community. Areas of contribution to be considered are social, political, health, youth welfare, education and business. Types of contributions to be considered are volunteering, generosity, leadership roles and civic pride.

Grand Marshals should be seen as role models to the community as a whole, not just be popular members of the community. This should be shown in the accomplishments and contributions they have made to the community.

What are the Grand Marshal categories?

Male Identifying Grand Marshal
Female Identifying Grand Marshal
Gender Non-Binary/ Gender Non-Conforming Grand Marshal
Ally Grand Marshal
LGBTQ+ Focused Community Organization

What are the qualifications for each category?

Male Identifying Grand Marshal nominees need to have their main residence in the Greater Houston area and should self-identify as a GBTQIA+ male or male-presenting person who has demonstrated outstanding accomplishments/contributions to the Houston LGBTQIA+ Community for more than four (4) years. No pairs or groups allowed as nominees.

Female Identifying Grand Marshal nominees need to have their main residence in the Greater Houston area and should self-identify as an LBTQIA+ female or female-presenting person who has demonstrated outstanding accomplishments/contributions to the Houston LGBTQIA+ Community for more than four (4) years. No pairs or groups allowed as nominees.

Gender Non-Binary Grand Marshal nominees need to have their main residence in the Greater Houston area and should self-identify as a gender non-binary presenting person who has demonstrated outstanding accomplishments/contributions to the Houston LGBTQIA+ Community for more than four (4) years. No pairs or groups allowed as nominees.

Ally Grand Marshal nominees need to have their main residence in the Greater Houston area and should self-identify as a heterosexual, cisgender man or woman who has demonstrated outstanding accomplishments/contributions to the Houston LGBTQIA+ Community for more than four (4) years. A pair or couple may be nominated. No groups allowed as nominees.

LGBTQ+ Focused Community Organization nominees need to serve primarily the Greater Houston area with programming that benefits the LGBTQ+ community. The organization should have outstanding accomplishments/contributions that have had a great impact on the LGBTQIA+ Community in Houston and their body of work should span four (4) years or more.

Why is the contact information of the Nominee required?

Although everyone loves surprises, this unfortunately cannot be one of those situations. All individuals must be notified of their nomination in advance by the person(s) nominating them and then given the right to deny or accept the nomination.

Can I nominate a previous Grand Marshal again?

Yes! However, a person cannot be recognized for the same contributions as before. Therefore, if the individual(s) contributed in a different capacity and have continued to go above and beyond in the advancement of LGBTQIA+ rights since being a Grand Marshal, then their nomination will be accepted.

What happens once I nominate someone?

Nominations will be reviewed by a committee consisting of former Grand Marshals and Pride Board members for eligibility. All final chosen candidates will be announced at a later date to be determined.

What’s required of the nominee, if chosen, of the Grand Marshal?

The nominees will be presented to the community for a vote, the winners of which will be announced during Pride kickoff. A full listing of expectations will be presented to the nominees before Pride kickoff, but include event appearances, media appearances, participation in the Houston LGBT Pride Parade, etc. All Grand Marshal nominees and Grand Marshals should positively represent Pride Houston, Inc. in all public activities.