Austin’s annual Pride festival is looking at reduced funding this year � but organizers say it's an opportunity to get back to the celebration’s roots.
The festival, scheduled for Aug. 23, will be free and feature 100% local entertainment this year, according to a posted Wednesday.
“We’re doubling down on what makes Austin Pride so special: community, resilience and love,� festival organizers wrote. “We’re here. We’re queer. And we’re not going anywhere.�
Previous festivals have been headlined by performers from around the country. Attendees have also had to pay for tickets to the events in the past � with the exception of a free evening parade down Congress Avenue.
The festival is organized by the Austin Pride Foundation, a volunteer-run nonprofit, with financing from donations and corporate sponsorships.
“Like many Pride organizations across the country, we’ve been impacted by the current political climate � and yes, that includes our funding,� organizers said in the statement. “We’re feeling it this year, and as a result, the festival will look and feel a bit different than what you’re used to.�
While Austin holds its annual Pride festival in August, most cities hold their celebrations in June during National Pride Month.
Pride festivals across the country lost funding this year due to reduced sponsorships, resulting in scaled-back events and corporate displays of support, in some cases. attributed a $750,000 budget shortfall to corporations that had reassessed their support for diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. also said it lost around 20 sponsors and more than $180,000 in donations.
Austin Pride has not announced how many sponsors or dollars have been lost locally. KUT News has reached out to organizers for more details.
In the social media post, Austin Pride teased that performer announcements would be coming soon. The theme for this year’s festival is “Silence = Death,� a to a 1980s-era artwork to raise awareness and push for government action to end the AIDS crisis.
“Attacks on our rights, our stories, and our very existence are escalating. But we’ve been here before, and just like those who came before us, we won’t be erased," Austin Pride to explain the theme. “On Aug. 23 at Fiesta Gardens, we take to the streets � not just to celebrate, but to demand, to resist, and to fight for our future.�
