Dallas Pride parade returns to Fair Park this weekend

The Dallas Pride parade returns this weekend after a two-year hiatus due to COVID.

Why it matters: Pride events are rooted in the 1969 Stonewall Riots in New York after police raided a gay club and gay and transgender people fought back.

• That sparked the gay rights movement.

Zoom in: Dallas' first Pride parade took place downtown in 1972 but didn't happen again until June 1980.

• In 1983, the event was renamed the Texas Freedom Parade and moved to September to celebrate a judge's ruling that struck down Texas' sodomy law.

Yes, but: That ruling was eventually overturned and the law stayed on the books until 2003.

Driving the news: Dallas Pride was traditionally in September in Oak Lawn but it moved to Fair Park in June 2019.

The intrigue: Dallas-based dating app Match sponsored a float in the parade this year and employees will shout, "Gay!" per Advocate Magazine.

• The shouts are in protest of Florida's "Don't Say Gay" bill, which has seen support in Texas.

Of note: In 2020, Dallas started replacing its City of Dallas flags with Pride flags at city facilities every June for LGBTQ Pride Month.

• The downtown skyline will be rainbow-colored Friday through Sunday.

If you go: Dallas Pride festivities take place Saturday and Sunday at Fair Park, 3809 Grand Ave.

• Parking is $10. And there's a DART train stop.

Saturday: The Dallas Pride festival runs from 11am-9pm, ending with rainbow fireworks near the Centennial Building.

• Cost: $10 for people 20 and older, $5 for people 13-19, free for people under 12.

Sunday: The Dallas Pride Texas Freedom Parade starts at 2pm at the Coliseum, circles the Cotton Bowl, marches in front of the Hall of State and ends at the Coliseum.

• Cost: Free