by Jonathan Swindle 
6:41Every October, Corpus Christi gets one Saturday where the whole community shows up in the same place at the same time. Last year it was October 4. This year it’s Saturday, October 3, 2026 — and if you were with us last fall, you already know what that afternoon on the bayfront feels like.
Looking back at October 2025
Thirty approved entries made up the 2025 Pride Parade. Between them, those entries told us they expected to bring roughly 405 marchers — a self-reported estimate from the applications, not a head count, but a fair picture of how many people walked, rode and waved that day. Eighteen entries walked, eleven came in cars, convertibles and trucks, five built floats, and there was one motorcycle group and one golf cart in the mix.
What stood out was the range. Students marched: Islander Feminists, Islander Spectrum of Sexuality & Gender, the TAMU-Kingsville UNITY Club & Psi Chi Honor Society, and Corpus Christi Secular Homeschoolers. Congregations marched: All Saints’ Episcopal Church, Grace Church Corpus, St. Paul United Church of Christ on a float, and the Unitarian Universalist Church of Corpus Christi. Local businesses and health groups came out too — The Hidden Door, Grounded Beauty Studio, My Healing Center, Coastal Bend Wellness Foundation, Women’s and Men’s Health Services. The Royal Sovereign Imperial Court of the Texas Riviera Empire rode a float, Dykes and Friends on Bikes came on two wheels, and Coastal Bend Stonewall Democrats and Progressives of the Coastal Bend walked. The 2025 parade was led by Grand Marshal Bill Williams, Drag/Diva Grand Marshal Isis Paris York and Emerging Leader Grand Marshal Conor Rice.
The Block Party
Then everyone walked over to the Block Party, where 47 vendors had public listings, four of them food trucks. The food was, fittingly, very Corpus Christi: 2V Fruit Cups & Snacks with aguas frescas and mangonadas, Chelitos Delights with mini tacos and flautas, Lone Star Hawaiian Ice with snow ice and brisket sandwiches, Raging Ice & More with shaved ice, plus Fulton Kettle Corn and fresh-squeezed lemonade from Lemon Shakers.
Nineteen booths came from local businesses — wire-wrapped crystal jewelry from Blossoming Lotus, woodworking from Clover and Leaf, handmade jewelry from Chloe’s Creations, 3D prints and Pride novelties from My Wicked Art, pet gear from Pawsitive Style Pet Boutique, and books from novelist Karlyle Tomms. Thirteen nonprofits set up alongside them: the Art Museum of South Texas ran a hands-on art activity, Coastal Bend Wellness Foundation offered free and confidential screenings from its mobile testing unit, Equality Texas brought a prize wheel, and Texas Rising and the Nueces County Democratic Party registered voters. Sponsor booths added photo booths, giveaways and free water — Hilliard Law & Hilliard Center, Gulf Coast Growth Ventures, Astound, Sam’s Club, Corpus Christi Association of REALTORS and Woodworks Therapy among them.
On stage, 28 performers held slots across the evening: drag queens and kings, diva performers, musicians and the AZURE Dance Team, with names like Absinthe, Blasphemet, Elektra Brooks, Vivi LaGrand, Twigothy and Lepyrd. You can still read their profiles in the performer directory. Put it together — the walk down Shoreline, the smell of kettle corn, someone’s grandmother in a lawn chair near the stage — and that’s the day.
2026: Saturday, October 3
Here’s what’s set. Parade staging opens at 2:00 PM and the parade steps off at 4:30 PM on Shoreline Blvd. by Water’s Edge Park. The Block Party runs 5:00 PM to 10:00 PM on the Great Lawn at Water’s Edge Park. Watching the parade and attending the Block Party are free, all ages, no ticket needed.
This year’s Grand Marshal is Brittany Andrews, with Ellison Powers as Emerging Leader Grand Marshal. Hicks Family Subaru is the 2026 title sponsor, one of 13 sponsors backing the event so far, along with AEP Texas, Gulf Coast Growth Ventures, Coastal Bend Association of REALTORS and Herrman and Herrman. Thirty performers are confirmed for the stage; the line-up will be announced closer to the day.
March in the parade or vend at the Block Party
One application covers both. Applications are open now and close September 30, 2026, so there’s about a week and a half left.
- Parade entry is free for school orgs and student clubs, entertainment and performance groups, solo individuals and families walking, and sponsors. Faith-based organizations and small nonprofits are $60, commercial businesses and medium nonprofits $80, political candidates $75, and large nonprofits $120.
- Block Party booths start at $30 for local arts and crafts and $45 for political candidates. A 10×10 small nonprofit space is $50 ($75 expanded), a 10×10 for-profit space is $85 ($125 expanded), large nonprofit spaces are $140 and $185, and sponsor booths are complimentary.
- Food trucks are $150. Trucks don’t pick a spot — spaces in the food truck area, with power hook-ups, are first come, first served on the day.
Everything starts at the application page, and the participant guide and vendor guide walk through what to expect once you’re approved. If your church, club, shop or team has been meaning to join for a couple of years now, this is the week to do it.