Dallas’ own Kameron Ross performed at Chicago’s Market Days last weekend. On Sept. 19, he will be back on his home turf for Oak Lawn Live (Photo by Chad Mantooth/Dallas Voice)

DAVID TAFFET | Senior Staff Writer
Taffet@DallasVoice.com

When the Cedar Springs Merchants Association began thinking about adding a street festival to its calendar of events, CSMA members looked around the country for ideas. And the most successful street festival they found was Chicago’s Northalsted Market Days. To ensure they create a similar vibe on The Strip, several Cedar Springs merchants were in Chicago last weekend for Market Days where they signed some of its vendors and performers to the new Dallas event. That roster of entertainment includes Dallas’ Kameron Ross, who was in Chicago to perform for Market Days there.

CSMA’s new event is called Oak Lawn Live, and it will be held next month in conjunction with Pride in Dallas, according to Pride in Dallas President Vincent DeLuca, who said the new festival is set for Saturday, Sept. 19, while the parade will be held the following day, on Sunday, Sept. 20.

Pride on Cedar Springs
Now, just to clear up any confusion: Didn’t we just have our parade in June?

Yes, but if one parade is good, two parades are better. And for the past few years, Dallas has held two Pride parades each year.

For decades, Dallas’ original Pride parade was held on the third Sunday each September on Cedar Springs Road. That parade moved to Fair Park in June in 2019. This year, because Fair Park was being used for events surrounding FIFA’s World Cup in June, the Dallas Pride Parade moved downtown. Following its success and great reception from the community, Dallas Pride Parade will be held downtown again next June.

But after Dallas Pride moved away from The Strip, people missed having the parade on Cedar Springs in September. And so did the businesses in Oak Lawn that had benefitted from the tens of thousands of people the parade had drawn to the neighborhood each September.

So business owners re-energized the Cedar Springs Merchants Association and staged a parade in September on Cedar Springs — this one called Pride in Dallas. And this year, rather than in Turtle Creek Park or Reverchon Park where all previous parade festivals have been held, Pride in Dallas’ Michael Doughman Pride Parade will have a full-day festival of music and arts on The Strip itself on Saturday, Sept. 19.

And they are calling it Oak Lawn Live.

The new event will feature three stages within a four-block area of Cedar Springs Road that will be closed to traffic for most of the weekend. DeLuca said Pride in Dallas is sponsoring one of those stages, and that stage will feature 10 hours of performances by local artists.

Where the money is coming from
Staging an event like this isn’t cheap. The cost of performers, equipment, permits, security and more totals well into the six figure range. CSMA officials chose not to release exact figures since, in this first year, all they have so far are estimates.

The street will be closed for the event, and volunteers at the gate will be asking for donations. Donations will also be accepted online. The suggested donation for general admission is $20. A $50 guest pass will be sold as well as a Premium Platinum Experience Package for $2,500.

A $20 donation includes admission for one. The $50 guest pass includes two drink tickets and access to all VIP viewing areas, bars and restrooms.

The $2,500 package includes VIP admission for 10 people, 20 drink tickets, after-party access for 10 and 10 event t-shirts. VIPS will also have their own 10×10 cabana for shade and executive service. And they’ll help defray the cost of staging the event.

CSMA is hoping for solid advance sales to prevent too much confusion or delay at the entry gates. But where is the advance cash coming from to pay for expenses up front? Ask Chad Mantooth, and he’ll tell you that money is coming from Wine Walk. Mantooth is the chair of that CSMA event.

Wine Walk is held on Cedar Springs Road on the first Thursday of the month, and it is the most successful such event held around the city. Deep Ellum and Bishop Arts also stage successful wine walks in the city, with about 15 stops.

Cedar Springs Wine Walks this summer have boasted 30 participating businesses. Mantooth said the June event sold out it’s stash of 3,000 wine glasses at $20 apiece. And the July and August events were also very successful. Raffles increased the take.

That money has gone into a renewed mural project in the area, and it paid for recently-installed rainbow bike racks, rainbow trash cans and rainbow banners. But Mantooth said CSMA has mostly been banking proceeds from Wine Walk, and that money will fund the first Oak Lawn Live festival.

Merchants on the street, Mantooth said, aren’t kicking in thousands of dollars to pay for the festival. Instead, any money they’re spending that weekend goes to promotions, contests, shows, sales or more in their businesses.Pride in Dallas has stepped up as a valuable partner in staging the event. By sharing the weekend, the barricades, portable restrooms and other logistical equipment Pride in Dallas arranged and paid for the parade will be used by CSMA for the festival, too.

Market Days in Chicago attracted more than 50,000 people. Mantooth said Oak Lawn Live will be successful for its first year if it attracts three to four thousand paid admissions. And, several thousand additional people out on The Strip should be good for business for the street’s bars, restaurants and stores.

“We hope it brings new customers to our community,” said Kevin Miller, owner of the Round-Up Saloon. “New customers helps keep the area vibrant.”

Alexandre’s owner Lee Daugherty noted that his club has been a live music venue for more than two decades, and for his business “Oak Lawn Live will help get us through the slow season.”

And that bodes well for Dallas in a state where, despite a $2.9 trillion economy, individuals and businesses face rising financial stress from inflation, housing costs and increasing personal bankruptcy filings, and in a world where geopolitical tensions continue to raise concerns.

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