Rainbows filled Downtown El Paso as colorful floats, performers and community groups made their way through the streets during the 2026 Sun City Pride Parade.
The Borderland celebrated its 19th annual parade on Saturday, June 27, with “Neon Desert” serving as this year’s theme, representing unity and togetherness.
“Remembering the simpler times when we used to have the music festivals here, and everybody would just come together, just enjoy being with each other, music, and just having fun,” Albert Gomez, special events director for Sun City Pride, said. “That’s kind of what we want to bring it back to, especially with everything going on right now in the world.”
“We’re all doing this together,” Gomez said. “We all suffering, we’re all trying to get through life together.”
Participants marched and rode from El Paso City Hall to Houston Park, where the celebration continued with a family-friendly picnic.
Gomez, 31, said he grew up without Pride celebrations in El Paso, making his role in organizing the event especially meaningful. He hopes the parade gives others the sense of belonging and support he didn’t have while growing up.
“I went to the military, and that’s when I first actually experienced Pride,” Gomez said. “So now being a part of the board of directors for the 19th year, and preparing for the 20th year, it makes it a lot more special because now my brothers and sisters, my friends and my family that I saw struggling growing up now know that they have somewhere safe.”
Former El Paso City Council representative Alexsandra Annello was one of this year’s grand marshals. She said she was honored to be recognized after working closely with Sun City Pride during her time on City Council.
“We had meetings after meetings every month to really see what we could do to enhance our community, to enhance our city, and, like, keep our queer and trans individuals in this community safe. And so it’s a real honor to be a grand marshal,” Annello said.
Annello said the parade also serves as a reminder that the LGBTQ+ community continues to have support in El Paso despite ongoing political debates over LGBTQ+ rights in Texas.
“There’s still a stigma that in El Paso, we are a conservative community, that we’re not welcoming to our queer and trans individuals, and that’s not true,” Annello said. “Part of what I did on City Council was remind people of that every day. This parade is a big staple after what the state and what this community have been through in the last couple of years. The state is not stopping. They’re still trying to pass terrible anti-trans and queer laws.”
“We are here, we’re not going anywhere, and we’re not going to be quiet because of the fascism in Texas or in the White House.”
Gaby Velasquez may be reached at gavelasquez@elpasotimes.com; @gabyavelasquez on Instagram.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: 2026 Sun City Pride Parade celebrates unity in Downtown El Paso
Reporting by Gaby Velasquez, El Paso Times / El Paso Times
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Gaby Velasquez, El Paso Times | USA TODAY Network
