AUSTIN, Texas — It’s been over a month since the annual celebration of Pride around the nation. The city of Austin celebrates it later in the summer, however. The city’s 33rd Pride Parade & Festival is on Saturday.

The 8 p.m. parade will start at the Texas Capitol building on 11th Street and Congress Avenue. It costs the public nothing to attend, but to attend the festival from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., you must buy tickets. A map that illustrates the parade’s route can be seen here.

Some roads might be closed off or lanes reduced in order to make way for the parade traffic around 1 p.m. For more details, visit this link. Below is a list of alternative traffic routes from the City of Austin:

  • Northbound/southbound traffic: Red River Street and I-35 
  • Northbound only: Trinity Street and Lavaca Street 
  • Southbound only: Guadalupe Street 
  • Eastbound/westbound: 15th Street, Riverside Drive, and Barton Springs Road 

If you’re driving a personal vehicle to the parade, read the city’s parking information for downtown. Attendees can use the following options to get around the parade:

Emergency service responders, such as the Austin Police Department (APD), Austin-Travis County EMS (ATCEMS) and Austin Fire Department (AFD) will be on standby at the parade for the safety of the LGBTQIA+ community.

“Immediately after the Colorado Springs attack, members of Austin’s LGBTQIA+ community reached out and expressed feeling particularly vulnerable and may not know what to do in a similar situation,” said ATCEMS Captain Shannon Koesterer. “We came up with the idea to provide this training, to empower our community and give them the knowledge and tools to potentially save a life.” 

APD, ATCEMS and AFD combined the teachings of Stop the Bleed and Civilian Response to Active Shooter Events (CRASE) to train multiple LGBTQIA+ businesses in handling crisis-like situations. APD’s Lesbian and Gay Police Officers Association (LGPOA) donated ten large Stop the Bleed kits to LGBTQIA+ bars and clubs to use in an emergency medical situation.

“We pray our community never faces a mass casualty or active shooter scenario, but knowing the community is better trained to help save lives after today reminds me that our relationship with the community is strong and Austin is immensely resilient,” President of the LGPOA Sgt. Michael Crumrine stated. “Especially when it comes to someone trying to hurt a community member simply because they are different.”

The city of Austin has done all it can to prepare for the worst. A known danger that none can control, yet looms over the parade, is the heat. ATCEMS asks that attendees take precaution when it comes to how hot it could get, especially given the latest on heat-related deaths in Texas.

  • Pre-hydrate before going outside and continue to hydrate
  • Wear light-colored, loose-fitting clothing 
  • Take frequent breaks in the shade
  • Learn the signs of heat-related illness and what you can do to help
  • Always know where you are. Download the what3words location app on your phone, so first responders can find you quickly in an emergency