As the thrill of May graduation and the start of summer comes to an end, June brings new excitement: Pride month. On May 30, members and allies of the LGBTQ+ community gathered downtown for the annual Pride River Parade & Celebration to kick off the month-long celebration.
Performers livened the air at the Arneson River Theater while patrons flocked to the many vendors. Some attendees viewed the performances from staircase seating provided across the river from the stage, and others viewed the show while standing on a nearby bridge. Performers sang and danced in brief acts that lasted about three songs each. Throughout the diverse performances, one thing remained consistent: the enthusiastic energy from the crowd.
Marz Paris became a fan favorite, drawing boundless adoration from the crowd through a dance performance. Sandra Reyes was among those who found delight in his performance.
“The way he interacted with the crowd was amazing. Everybody went off. It was amazing; I loved it,” Reyes exclaimed.
Paris took the stage in a simple white outfit that was ripped off moments later, revealing a shimmery full-body one-piece donning the Puerto Rican flag. The outfit was complete with tassels, and its presentation intensified the audience’s animation. The crowd’s pleasure only grew when Paris descended the stage and danced with audience members to a Bad Bunny song.
In addition to celebrating pride, members of the community showed their abundant support for the city’s beloved Spurs team. Lyn-Z Andrews, who was emceeing the event for the fifth year, donned the Spurs logo on a dress and custom pride flag. The pride parade was the same night as the much-anticipated Spurs vs. Thunder game. Between performances, updates to the score were given. The final moments of the game were shown on a screen behind the stage, and the crowd erupted when the game ended in a victory that secured the Spurs’ spot in the NBA finals.
Nicky Colbert came from Georgia to attend this event and explained that the combination of the pride and Spurs celebrations brought the community together.
“It’s bringing everybody [together],” Colbert said. “The comradery. The culture. Everything was absolutely great.”
Colbert elaborated how special it was that people who may not attend a pride event got to experience the love of the community because of the event’s downtown location.
“For me, I think it’s just everybody coming together and the people who are coming through [the river in] the boats who have never seen anything [pride related], they actually got exposed, and they can see the love that was shown.”
This event was just the beginning of a month that will be filled with LGBTQ+ pride. More events can be found at visitsanantonio.com.
