TheDallas Arts District, with the Dallas Museum of Art, Nasher Sculpture Center and Crow Museum of Asian Art, today announced its 9th annual PRIDE Block Party, one of four signature events of the Dallas Arts District Fest welcoming FIFA World Cup 26. This is a free event set for June 19, from 6 p.m.–midnight on Flora Street between Harwood and Olive and inside the Nasher, DMA and the Crow Museum.

PRIDE Block Party features multiple stages and three venues, and each year draws a crowd of thousands to the city’s arts district to celebrate the LQBTQ+ community with regional artists, live music, drag sets, DJs, dancing, poetry, gourmet food-fare, creative vendors, a community mural, family-friendly activities and more.

This year the Community Stage will feature performances from Bruce Wood Dance and Uptown Players, two-step and guided line dance with the Round-Up Saloon, a drag finale and more. The DMA will highlight Black queer culture in honor of Juneteenth, culminating with their annual Kiki Ball. Crow Museum features Filipino American spoken word artist Veronica Pamindanan hosting an open mic and readings from select poets. And the Nasher Sculpture Center will present a special edition of ’til Midnight with performers such as Cure for Paranoia and Bleach and Friends, alongside DJ sets and a screening of the 1995 cult classic, To Wong Fu, Thanks for Everything! Jenny Newmar.

The full line up from each organization is available on the Dallas Arts District website.

This year, as the event falls on June 19th, PRIDE Block Party recognizes the national and historical importance of Juneteenth, a national holiday marking the news of emancipation reaching Galveston, Texas in 1865. “The intersection of these two moments, Pride and Juneteenth, is really moving,” says Jill Magnuson, Interim Director of the Dallas Arts District. “Together they underline the power of community and activism to uplift diversity, love, and freedom—a power so often expressed in the sharing of art and culture.”

Leading support for PRIDE Block Party comes from the Dallas Tourism Public Improvement District with additional support from Crow Museum of Asian Art, Dallas Museum of Art, Gilead Sciences, Inc., Nasher Sculpture Center, North Texas LGBT Chamber of Commerce, Texas Commission on the Arts, Office of Arts and Culture and the Dallas Voice.

— Tammye Nash

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