Stand Tall, Y'all: Katy Pride Returns October 3, One Year After It Almost Didn't Happen
Katy Pride board members celebrate at the 2025 Katy Pride Celebration at Bear Creek Rodeo Arena. Photo courtesy of Harris County Precinct 4
Katy Pride's fourth annual celebration is Saturday, October 3, and it's the biggest one yet: live headliners, a drag showcase, a runway competition, and free admission for everyone - all under this year's western theme, "Stand Tall, Y'all!"
One year ago, it almost didn't happen at all.
Elih and I sat down with two of Katy Pride's four co-founders on the Trans Voices podcast: President Amanda Rose (they/them) and Kristina Shackelford (she/her), Director of Pride Celebration.
I've served on the Katy Pride board since spring 2025, but I still heard stories I'd never heard before. Here's the story behind this year's celebration, and what's coming.
How a Church Closet Grew Into Katy Pride
Before there was Katy Pride, there was a closet.
In 2019, First Christian Church Katy opened the Transparent Closet, a free clothing resource for anyone exploring their gender or transitioning. If you ask Katy Pride's founders, they'll tell you that's where it all began.
"Katy Needs a Pride"
The church kept hearing the same thing from the people who came through its doors: Katy needed more.
So four people asked the obvious question: Why not start a Katy Pride? They were Amanda, Kristina, FCC Katy's lead pastor Rev. Heather Tolleson (she/her), and special education teacher Alex Holdford (they/them).
They became a nonprofit in June 2023. Four months later they held the first celebration, and hundreds of people showed up.
"Historically, Katy has been more conservative," Amanda told us. "But it doesn't mean the LGBTQ community is not here."
"It was important to us to create a safe space that was not a church," Kristina added, because many LGBTQ+ people carry religious trauma.
That year was hard on queer families in Katy. Pride flags were stolen from the church multiple times. In August, the Katy ISD school board voted to ban classroom instruction on "gender fluidity" and require staff to tell parents if a student asks to use a different name or pronouns.
Katy Pride joined many community voices speaking against it. The policy passed anyway, but they kept showing up.
Why They Do It
Amanda grew up in Baltimore and came out in college. They've identified as nonbinary for the past five or six years. "It's the most comfortable I've been in my life," they said.
Kristina, a feminine-presenting lesbian, spent years coming out over and over at work, trying to prove her worth before anyone found out. "I just realized that was so backwards," she said.
That's the heart of Katy Pride: a place where you don't have to earn the right to be yourself.
The Week It Almost Fell Apart
I'd been on the Katy Pride board about six months when a crisis struck.
We had signed a contract with a Katy-area venue in April 2025 to host our third celebration. We paid in full and hired our own security. Then, the week of the event, two Katy ISD trustees took to Facebook urging people to pressure the venue into cancelling.
On Wednesday afternoon, October 15, the day before the kickoff party, the venue canceled, citing safety concerns. Katy police told KHOU 11 News they knew of no credible threats.
Of course, Kristina wasn't having it, and neither was the rest of the board.
"I'm pretty stubborn, if you've ever met me," Kristina said. "My vendors are counting on me. My community is counting on me."
The Greater Houston LGBTQ+ Chamber of Commerce pointed us to Harris County Precinct 4, and Commissioner Lesley Briones' team answered right away. The church took in the kickoff party on a day's notice. By Saturday, the celebration was up and running at Bear Creek Rodeo Arena, and more than 1,000 people came.
Only two vendors asked for refunds, and many attendees never knew anything had gone wrong.
"Sometimes in crisis is when we see the best in people," Amanda said.
In May 2026, both of those trustees left the board after choosing not to run again, and voters elected three newcomers. Amanda is cautiously hopeful: "Maybe the roller coaster is a little more flat."
And Katy Pride? It's back at Bear Creek, bigger than ever.
Stand Tall, Y'all! Here's What's Coming
Kick-Off Party: Thursday, October 1, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., Home Run Dugout in Katy
This year brings live music from Katy native and Texas country artist Paige Lewis. Tickets are $20 online or $30 at the door, and proceeds cover costs and count as a donation. Get tickets here.
4th Annual Katy Pride Celebration: Saturday, October 3, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Bear Creek Rodeo Arena, 3230 Highway 6, Houston
Admission and parking are free, rain or shine. And for the first time, Katy Pride is bringing live headliners:
Olive Klug (they/them), a queer indie-folk singer-songwriter who has played festivals from Telluride to Kerrville.
Sarah Golden, Houston's own, one of six winners of the 2026 Kerrville New Folk competition and a former contestant on NBC's The Voice. (This June, she also sang the national anthem at the Astros' Pride Night.)
Drag King Hugh Dandy and Drag Queen Biconic will host and perform, and DJ Crazy V is back for her third year.
At 11:30 a.m., Katy Pride will honor its community-nominated Grand Marshals: Grand Marshal Cameron Stodghill (they/he), Ally Grand Marshal Commissioner Lesley Briones (she/her), and Youth Grand Marshal Hailey Sommerfeldt (she/her), a Katy ISD student.
Families can also enjoy an expanded Kids Zone, plus food trucks, local vendors, and beer and wine for adults all day.
Don't Miss the Drag and the Runway
The "Rhinestone Round-Up" is a brand-new drag showcase exhibit. Local drag queens and kings have donated pieces from their own collections, including crowns, boots, wigs, and gowns, and Katy Pride is putting them on display. It's a chance to see the artistry of our local drag community up close.
The Transparent Closet fashion show is back, and this year it's a competition. Models will walk the runway to win, the top three take home prizes, and Jigalodeon will host.
Yes, It's Worth the Drive
Katy can feel far for those of us living downtown. But Bear Creek Rodeo Arena sits right off I-10 and Highway 6, parking is free and plentiful, and the pavilion is covered. Security is at the gate.
At that first Katy Pride in 2023, Amanda met a mom who had scrambled to find a ride there. Her daughter was trading phone numbers with new friends, and told her mom it was the first time she'd ever felt like she was in community.
"That's why we do it," Amanda said, fighting back tears. "It's not for the big name and lights."
Not sure? Kristina's advice is to "try it on." If a big festival isn't your thing, try the monthly "Espresso Yourself" coffee social, the November Transgender Day of Remembrance, or next June's Pride 5K.
Katy Pride is entirely volunteer-run, and will need 40+ volunteers for the celebration this year. Shifts are two hours, with a free shirt included! Sign up at katypride.org, and follow @KatyPrideLGBTQ on Facebook and Instagram.
Trans Voices will be tabling at the celebration on October 3. Come find us!
