Loads of colors, people and social activity during the Houston Pride Week events
The Houston Pride Week once again this year covered the city in bright colors: over 100.000 people attended its events to celebrate diversity and the ever-growing LGTB community. National, regional and local sponsor, together with a great number of volunteers and local businesses, worked to create and host a number of events throughout the week from the 19th to the 26th of June.
The Pride Superstar Competition finale took place on June 22nd, crowning the best singer in the LGBT community; the free fashion event “Rock the Runway” on June 23rd featured Houston models wearing the latest summer styles; the Pride Girl Party on June 23rd celebrated LGBT women. A series of events which culminated in the Houston Pride Festival and Parade of June 24th, the center of the seven-day celebration, that took place in Downtown Houston and attracted over 700.00 people. The Festival had almost 200 exhibitors, from the Houston LGBT History exhibit to the Family Fun Zone, from the Health and Wellness Pavillion to the Free HIV testing. Moreover, multiple entertainment stages were set up for local and national artists, including our Pride Superstar contestants (past and present), to perform.
The victims of the Orlando mass shooting were honored and remembered during the parade: their names were written on a huge rainbow flag that was carried along the parade route.
SocialMeter Analysis monitored Twitter conversations during the Houston Pride Week events through the hashtags #pridehouston and #houstonprideweek. From June 17th to June 27th almost 1500 users were involved, sharing over 2000 tweets and 300 pictures. A tweet peak was registered between 5AM and 6AM on June 26th. Among the top users there were @snoopandwillie, a private profile, @mayorsevents, the account of the Houston Mayor’s Office of Special Events, and the journalist @antonioarellano. The most mentioned profiles were @kimfrederi, the founder and co-leader of HRC Super Volunteers, @antonioarellano and the official account of the event, @pridehouston.