HOUSTON — Houston’s 48th annual Pride parade returns downtown Saturday after severe weather forced organizers to postpone the June event, with organizers preparing for hundreds of thousands of attendees amid potentially dangerous heat.
The parade will start at 7 p.m. near Smith and Lamar streets and travel through downtown before ending at Milam and Pease streets. The stage and grandstand will open at 5 p.m.
Organizers have arranged cooling tents, misting fans, hydration stations and emergency medical personnel along the route as the heat index is expected to climb well above 100 degrees.
Jack Valinski, a longtime Pride parade volunteer and founder of Pride Houston, urged attendees to plan their transportation and prepare for the heat.
“Plan ahead, go to the website, PrideHouston.org, look at where it is, plan where you’re gonna park or take Metro from,” Valinski said. “Bring some water with you. We will also have free water, but [I] can’t guarantee everybody’s gonna be able to get it.”
He also encouraged attendees to use sunscreen and follow standard precautions for spending time outdoors in Houston’s summer heat.
Street closures are expected near City Hall as the parade moves through downtown.
Organizers expect this year’s event to draw more people than last year’s parade, which attracted an estimated 200,000 attendees.
The parade originally was scheduled for June but moved to August after severe weather forced its postponement. Organizers said they do not anticipate another weather delay this weekend.
Attendees are encouraged to bring water, use sunscreen, take advantage of cooling stations and plan their transportation before heading downtown.