pride houston 2022

Show your pride with these 12 vibrant Houston events, from parades to parties

The fun lasts all month.

Photo by F. Carter Smith

June means Pride is in full swing, meaning month-long celebrations, parties, activities, and more. Look for music, fashion shows, hot parties, art exhibits, an annual run, the annual parade, and even a hangover "cure" for the day after the city's official celebration (often much-needed).

Here's a quick roundup of some fierce and fab events to celebrate with pride.

Wednesday, June 15

The Moody Center for the Arts will have a special performance from the Pride Chorus Houston, bookended by happy hour tunes from DJ GNDRBNDR. From Elton John to Lady Gaga, the Pride Chorus Houston's song selections will highlight queer artists and Pride anthems old and new. 5 pm.

Thursday, June 16

Walking Stick Brewing Company, known as "a Texas brewery with Rocky Mountain roots," will be throwing a Pride night in their establishment. There will be a vendor market, music from DJ Raqqcity, food from Fusion Confusion Food Truck, a photo booth with props and — we love this— free Mom hugs. 6 pm.

AvantGarden will host the official Grand Marshal reception for the Houston LGBT+ Pride Celebration Festival and Parade. Each year, the Grand Marshals perform ceremonial duties, lead the parade and serve as Pride ambassadors year-round, advancing the causes they hold dear. 7 pm.

Saturday, June 18

Houston Eagle will be having its annual Pride Bike Ride Bike Parade. Come and support the LGBTQ community by going on a social bike ride around the Montrose neighborhood. All methods of non-motorized vehicles are welcome to join. We're talking bikes, roller blades, skates, skate boards, etc. 2 pm.

Hardy & Nance Studios will have a Pride Art Show, featuring artists who created pieces of art as a positive form of expression against discrimination & violence. The pieces will also promote dignity and equality within the community, and celebrate social change through art. 5 pm.

Thursday, June 23

RISE Rooftop will host the annual Rock the Runway 2022 fashion show. Some of the hottest models in Houston will be walking the catwalk in this summer’s latest styles in casual wear, ladies' evening wear, and more. 6 pm.

Friday, June 24

GreenStreet will have a Pride Market, supporting local LGBTQ artists and vendors. Come out, support the Houston LGBTQ community, and even enjoy a yoga session on the green. 5 pm.

Discovery Green will present Rainbow on the Green, its annual, citywide LGBTQ celebration with electrifying entertainment. This year, the event will honor the courageous families who have spoken out against legislation meant to deny medical treatment to transgender children. 7 pm.

Saturday, June 25

The Pride Run will be going down for all the fitness-friendly folk. Houston's inclusive synchronized 5k/10k walk and run is dedicated to bringing people together, having fun, being active, and supporting the diverse community. 7 am.

The 44th Annual Official Houston LGBT+ Pride Celebration will take place downtown at Houston City Hall. This is Houston's premiere event of the Pride season, featuring outdoor concerts, various entertainment, DJs, and a Family Fun Zone, as well as exhibition and vendor booths. Noon.

Star Sailor HTX will have a day-long Pride extravaganza, benefitting the Montrose Center. Snag Records, Team Jemini, TX Brew Hopper, Backseat Love and Constellation Coffee will be some of the vendors on hand. Mermaid Mystik Leah will also be around to sink in the dunk tank. Noon.

Sunday, June 26

Buddy's Houston will have a Pride Survivor Party, a hangover cure for the previous day's Pride Celebration. DJ Easton will be spinning the music, while drink specials will be served. 4 pm.

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Movie Review

Korean monster movie Hope starts strong, then chews too much scenery

Photo courtesy of Neon

Hwang Jung-Min and Hoyeon in Hope.

Monster movies can take on all sorts of different flavors, from all-out mayhem to quieter ones where the monster can sometimes be the protagonist. The new South Korean film Hope splits the difference to a degree, delivering action-packed sequences while also attempting to understand the non-humans in a way.

The story starts in medias res, with an unseen creature having already done great damage to a huge bull and laying waste to much of a small Korean town. The local sheriff, Beom Seok (Hwang Jung-Min), tries to take control of the situation in the town, while a group of hunters led by Sung Ki (Zo In-Sung) travel into the nearby woods to see what they can find there.

Thus starts a nearly nonstop, 160-minute epic of each side trying (and mostly failing) to defend themselves against gigantic creatures who seem hellbent on destroying everything in their path. It’s not until 40 minutes into the film that the audience is shown one of the monsters in detail, and the less said the better about what it actually looks like, as the mystery behind it keeps the intrigue going.

That initial section of the film is the best, as Beom Seok — eventually joined by deputy Sung Ae (Hoyeon) — goes on a frantic hunt around the town, always just far enough behind the monster to keep from seeing it. The utter destruction he witnesses and his interactions with various locals are intense and oddly funny, with the hectic conversations he has laced with fear and incredulity over how different people choose to act.

Writer-director Na Hong-jin bounces back and forth between the people in the town and the group in the forest, doing his best to maintain the momentum of the first section. This approach works for a while as each group makes their own discoveries about the creatures and has run-ins with them that more often than not are ill-fated. Using a mixture of relatively good CGI, great production design, and an abundance of gore, the filmmaker shows he knows how to make an effective blockbuster-style film.

The trouble is, he doesn’t know when to stop. Somewhere around the two-hour mark of the movie, the story starts to become repetitive and Hong-jin introduces elements that don’t mesh well with what has come before. For some reason, he decides that some of the creatures should speak, a move that is baffling on several fronts. The biggest one is that they are voiced by English-speaking actors like Michael Fassbender, Alicia Vikander, and Taylor Russell, but each speaks a non-human language, rendering their performances moot.

Jung-min puts in a fantastic lead performance, one that requires him to vacillate between abject terror and in-control leadership. In-Sung is almost as good, although his character requires him to play one note over and over again. Hoyeon, who some may recognize from Squid Game, delivers an extra shot of energy when she enters the film, something she keeps going despite her character being forced to say some bad lines.

If Hong-jin had kept the focus Hope a little tighter, the sci-fi thriller might have ended up toward the top of this year’s films. But by choosing to extend the story into territories that don’t add much to the plot or make much sense, the filmmaker puts a damper on what was a fun and brutal monster movie.

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Hope is now playing in theaters.

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