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Permian Basin to show its Pride next week with festival, events
The family-friendly Basin Pride Festival set for Saturday, July 16, is among a week’s worth of events celebrating the LGBTQN+ community.
The festivities kick off Wednesday, July 13, with a viewing party of MasterChet with Chef Willie at The Blue Door in Midland (6 p.m.), followed Thursday by an OrangeTheory Fitness Pride Workout at OrangeTheory In Odessa (6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.). On Friday, there’ll be a Basin Pride Kick-Off Party at the Midland Beer Garden (7 p.m.), leading up to Saturday’s Basin Pride Festival, which runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Scharbauer Sports Complex.
On Sunday, community members are encouraged to gather for an Interfaith Ceremony at the Unitarian Univeral Church (1-4 p.m.). Throughout this month, a Basin Pride Art Display is up for viewing at Odessa College and the University of Texas Permian Basin.
Basin Pride started in 2019 after the region’s LGBTQN+ groups joined forces “to provide a space of celebration for the community.” The arrival of the Pride Center West Texas in 2020 provided a new home for Basin Pride “focused on supporting local organizations.” After a COVID hiatus, Basin Pride returned in August last year “with a full day of vendors, entertainment and celebration of queer existence,” the organization said.
Basin Pride is sponsored by Chevron, Shell, Delek, Certarus USA, Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, Odessa Marriott, Midland Beer Garden, Sleep Inn- Midland, Centro San Vicente, Connection Christian Church and Odessa Episcopal Communities.
