AMICUS at STCL Does Houston Pride 2K16!

Hey AMICUS! It's PRIDE Season Again! As a community and alongside our allies, we have so much to celebrate. Regretfully we also have much to mourn this year with the passing of many of our own in the recent tragedy in Orlando, Florida. Now more than ever we need to present a united and strong body of legal gladiators ready to prove to the entire world that the blazing light of the Law shines into even the darkest of corners. It's going to be an exciting day of festivities and celebration. If you've never been to pride before, many others have not either so you'll be in good company! Bring friends, family, significant others, coworkers, whoever! This event is for all. There will be a Family Friendly Fun Zone located in the center of the festival. The Houston Pride FESTIVAL® info: Starts at 12:00 PM CST and ends at 7:00 PM CST Cross Streets: McKinney St and Smith St This Houston Pride PARADE® info: Starts at 8:30 PM CST and ends at 11:00 PM CST Begins at Lamar St and goes up/North on Smith St until Walker St where it will make a Right until Milam St then make a left and continue until Jefferson St Transportation ***AS A GROUP WE ANTICIPATE PARKING IN THE STUDENT LOTS AND CONVERGING AT THE SCHOOL THEN TRAVELLING AS A GROUP TO THE PARADE/FESTIVAL LOCATION VIA LOCAL TRANSIT LINES OR BY FOOT. PLEASE SEE ADDITIONAL TRANSPORTATION INFORMATION BELOW*** Pride Houston may be offering FREE shuttle buses before and after the parade to and from Montrose. Check updated times and locations. While there is more parking available in Downtown Houston, we still encourage you to utilize other forms of transportation like Metro, bikes, buses, car shares, etc. if possible. For Metro: Take the Red Line to any stop between the Downtown Transit Center and Central Station Main OR the Green or Purple Line to any of the Central Station stops. For more information on Metro call 713-635-4000 or visit www.ridemetro.org. Some businesses are also offering park-and-rides and shuttles from Montrose to Downtown for various prices. See the list. Street Closures On Friday, June 24 at 7 pm, McKinney and Walker will be closed between Smith and Bagby. All lanes will reopen on Sunday, June 28 at 3 am. Beginning on Saturday, June 25 at 5:45pm, many streets around the parade route and staging area will begin to close for cars (with access only for residents). This area runs from Rusk to St. Joseph Pkwy and Bagby to Main. We highly suggest you don’t attempt to drive into the area east of Main after 5:45pm. Streets won’t re-open to vehicular traffic until after the parade finishes (approximately 11pm) and the Houston Police Dept determines that enough spectators have left the streets. The sooner the crowd disperses, the faster the streets will re-open. Notes 1) STAY HYDRATED 2) WEAR SUNSCREEN 3) BE MINDFUL OF OPEN CONTAINER LAWS 4) There will be a huge 16 ft. wide chandelier on Smith St. - woa. AFTER PARTY Many of us are planning on attending after party celebrations at local Montrose bars. Everyone is welcome to join provided you are of legal drinking age. A full choice of bars providing after-Pride celebrations are listed below. Many will tell you that this is an incredible experience and everyone goes all out. Blur Bar 710 Pacific St. Houston, TX 77006 713-529-3447 Bar and Dance Club. Music is Pop, R&B and Hip Hop. 18+ to party, 21 to drink. FBar 202 Tuam Street Houston, Texas 77006 713-522-3227 Bar. Guava Lamp 570 Waugh Dr. Houston, TX 77019 713-524-3359 Bar. Local hang out with plenty of room to mix, mingle or martini. JR’s Bar & Grill 808 Pacific St. Houston, TX 77006 713-521-2519 Bar. Located on Gay strip on Pacific St this brings a rustic feel to quality drinks. Meteor Lounge 2306 Genesee St. Houston, TX 77006 713-521-0123 Bar. Montrose Mining Company 805 Pacific St. Houston, TX 77006 713-529-7488 Bar. Ripcord 715 Fairview St. Houston, TX 77006 713-521-2792 South Beach Night Club 810 Pacific St. Houston, TX 77006 Bar and Dance Club. Music Pop, Dance, Trance and House. Tony’s Corner Pocket 817 West Dallas St. Houston, TX 77019 713-571-7870 More About the Parade: The Parade, beginning on Lamar St on Smith St heading North to Walker St where it will make a right and continue until Milam St where it will make a Right and continue until Jefferson Ave, features more than 115 businesses, organizations and other community supporters. The Parade attracts over 700,000 attendees, making it the second largest parade in Houston. The Parade pre-show beginning at 8:00 p.m. will be at at Smith St and McKinney St. More About the Festival: The Festival, held around City Hall, Herman Square and Tranquility Park, showcases over 200 exhibitors with an attendance of more than 100,000 people. The Festival has something for everyone with exhibits like the Houston LGBT History exhibit, Family Fun Zone, Health and Wellness Pavillion, Free HIV testing and more. There are multiple entertainment stages where a whole cast of local and national artists, including our Pride Superstar contestants (past and present) perform for the thousands in attedance. Admission to the Festival is FREE. Most exhibitors and food vendors only accept cash, and ATMs are available on-site until 7 p.m. or at local businesses.