Music has the power to bring people together and build community, and it serves as an authentic and significant way for me to celebrate Pride.
This year, the Pride of San Antonio Showband is celebrating our 10 year anniversary!
The Pride of San Antonio Showband marches in the 2022 Pride Parade in San Antonio, Texas.
Before 2013, Pride didn’t mean much to me. It seemed like just another excuse for people to waste their money on alcohol and rainbow decorations, which has never appealed to me.
But several years ago I joined a local band that gave me an opportunity to get back into music and join a community outside of my workplace. Little did I know it would transform my connection to an event that holds significant meaning for me.
For years many of my friends in our community band mentioned forming a band to march in San Antonio’s Pride Parade, but no one actually wanted to take on the considerable task to organize this effort. So I decided that I was going to be the one to finally do it.
Rehearsal is held every Wednesday evening from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Woodlawn Pointe Center for Community. The address is 702 Donaldson Ave, San Antonio, Texas 78201.
With the deadline of the 2013 Pride march fast approaching, we planned to wait until the following year to organize, but there was so much interest from musicians we were connecting with and other members of the community that we decided to go ahead march in the 2013 Pride Parade as the Pride of San Antonio Showband.
As an introvert, this was one of the most difficult things I had ever done. I didn’t know many people in San Antonio, so I had to rely on my band friends to find musicians to join our group. People were afraid that we would fail and were nervous about showing public support for a LGBTQ+ cause, so I spent hours a day on the phone reassuring people to get all our musicians on board.
Our first Pride march as the Pride of San Antonio Showband – June 2013
We made a really great showing at that first parade in 2013. We had no real plans on how the band would carry on after this—I was completely exhausted. But luckily there others in the band pitched in and the band has continued as a concert and marching band in San Antonio, for 10 years. We’ve joined the national Pride Band Alliance, and each year we have the privilege of marching alongside our sister bands, the Houston Pride Band of Houston, Texas, and the Oak Lawn Band of Dallas, Texas, during their Pride parades as well.
Our Pride of San Antonio Showband at the King William Pride Parade 2022
Pride has come to mean COMMUNITY for me. It is a celebration of people embracing their differences and coming together to support and appreciate each other; and through the Pride of San Antonio Showband, I am fortunate to celebrate meaningfully in great company.
If you’d like to join the Pride of San Antonio Showband, or if you’re looking to learn more, visit our website at prideofsashowband.org or connect with me. Still not sure? Come check out our rehearsal, which is held every Wednesday evening from 7 to 9 p.m. at Woodlawn Pointe Center for Community. The address is 702 Donaldson Ave, San Antonio, TX 78201.
Written by Albert Condarco, Senior Architect of Studio Plearn.