Houston Gay Pride Parade

The Houston Gay Pride Parade is a Gay Pride event held annually in Houston, Texas (USA) in the Montrose neighborhood in June. This event commemorates The Stonewall Riots. It is currently the most attended Gay Pride event in the American state of Texas.

The Stonewall riots are generally considered to be the beginning of the modern gay movement. For example, activist L. Craig Schoonmaker claims to have coined the term "gay pride" in description of the 1969 Stonewall riots.

The festivities are held all day on the 4th Saturday of the month. The highlight of the event is the parade which is held in the evening after sunset since 1997 (which was arranged by then-Houston City Councilmember Annise Parker where a parade ordinance was revised). Because the event is held at night, the various floats and surroundings are creatively illuminated by the various participants.

Parade organizers (Pride Houston) estimate attendance of 200,000

Awards
Entries in the parade are eligible for awards in categories with cultural references significant to LGBT history as well as a judges pick and categories with more localized focus:


 * Judges' Choice
 * Stonewall (best social commentary)
 * Aria (best creative sound)
 * Fabulous (best costumes)
 * Rainbow (best lighting)
 * Ruby Slipper (best walking)
 * Judy Garland (best performance)
 * Lone Star Pride (best interpretation of the 2007 theme)
 * Pink Diamond (best float by a for-profit company)
 * Priscilla (best float by a non-profit group)
 * Spirit of Montrose (best overall)