Pride Weekend FAQ

We're glad you asked! Financial support is our #1 request. You can donate online at donorbox.org/normanokpride or mail a check to: Norman Pride PO Box 1655 Norman, OK 73070 We are also requesting in-kind donations! Please visit our donation page for more details and a list of needs.

Pride Weekend is a free event! The festival and the parade are free outdoor events, open to the public. The kickoff party on Friday is also free and open to the public.

Yes! Norman Pride Weekend is a family-friendly event. Please note: The Festival After-Party is 21+. This is the only event that is not all-ages.

We'll have several volunteer opportunities for Pride Weekend and during the weeks leading up to it. If you're interested in helping out, please complete our volunteer interest form. (coming soon!)

We will be following CDC recommendations, which you can find here. Hopefully, community spread will remain low. We do recommend wearing a mask if you have health conditions that put you at higher risk of complications. If you have not been fully vaccinated, we implore you to GO GET VACCINATED. If you have tested positive for Covid within 5 days* of Pride Weekend, please stay home and get well! Basically, we're just asking you to do the right thing. We certainly don't want Norman Pride Weekend to go down in history as a super-spreader event. *We will be following CDC guidelines, so please be aware that this information may change between now and Pride Weekend. Check back for updates.

No, you cannot bring alcohol to the festival or the parade. But local breweries and wineries will be hosting a beer/wine garden at the festival!

Yes please! We LOVE dogs. Well-behaved furbabies are more than welcome. Just be sure to keep them on a leash at all times, have a plan for water breaks, bring poop bags, and clean up after them. No exceptions! 🐶

Festival: The City of Norman lists Andrews Park among its handicapped accessible facilities. There is accessible parking available in the lots on the south and west sides of the park. Parade: The parade route and spectator areas on Main Street are ADA compliant. Please don't hesitate to contact us if you have additional questions or if you will need assistance due to a disability. As an organization built on the principles of inclusivity, we are committed to reducing barriers that may prevent anyone from attending our events.

As always, we are keeping a watchful eye on the Covid-19 situation, and as you have witnessed, we will not hesitate to postpone the event if we determine that it is unsafe for our community to gather in large numbers. It's an incredibly difficult decision to make, and it breaks our hearts that we've had to postpone Pride Weekend twice already. Trying to plan a large scale community event during a pandemic is like riding blindfolded on a dilapidated rollercoaster. Or like -- remember The Nightmare at Frontier City? Yeah, kinda like that. In the event of cancellation or rescheduling of Pride Weekend due to COVID-19, we will once again do what we've done the last two times: all vendors and parade participants will have the option to receive a full refund of their registration fee, place a hold on the fee for the rescheduled festival date, or release the fee to Norman Pride as a tax deductible donation to our general fund.

We'll be at Andrews Park (201 W Daws) in Norman. It's just south of the central Public Library and north of City Hall.

The festival is on Saturday, May 6th from noon-10pm. Vendor hours are noon-6pm. Food trucks hours are noon to 10pm. The entertainment schedule will be posted soon!

The address for Andrews Park is 201 W Daws St in Norman. DRIVING (from I-35): East on Main St (exit 109). Drive ~2 miles to Webster North on Webster. Drive ~2.5 blocks to Daws Andrews Park is on the NE corner of Daws and Webster. PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION: EMBARK serves the City of Norman with free scheduled fixed-route bus service. Operates 10 AM to 7 PM on Saturdays. View individual route schedules for precise service details. You can find the EMBARK maps and schedule here.

You have several choices. The closest options to the park are: the lots adjacent to the west or south side of the park. Handicapped accessible parking is available in these lots. the lot across the street on Daws (south of the park, by the old library). the library and Legacy Trail parking lot (north of the park) the parking lots south and northeast of City Hall, both on the west side of Santa Fe (please do NOT park in the NPD lot on the east side of Santa Fe) the parking lot on the southwest corner of Webster and Tonhawa street parking is available on several of the surrounding side streets. Signs are posted where parking is prohibited.

Absolutely! Andrews Park has some wide open green spaces, so bring your picnic blankets, too.

YES! Tipping drag performers is customary. Bring your dollar bills!

Expect to have SO much fun! Here are a few things about drag shows that everyone should know: Drag performers work their tails off. Drag is not easy, it's very hard work and very time and labor intensive. With that in mind... It is customary to tip drag performers. Tip often, and tip well! This is how they make money off of their performances. Bring your dollar bills! Drag performances are interactive. Some more so than others. If you are easily embarrassed, you probably shouldn't sit on the front row. On the flip side of that, if it's your BFF's birthday and they've never been to a drag show, the front row is the place to be. Drag performances are 'risqué,' generally speaking. Again, some more so than others. Norman Pride Weekend is a family-friendly event, so we ask that our performers stay within the 'risqué' realm for their festival performances. However, We know that "family-friendly" is subjective to a point, so please just keep that in mind when bringing your kids to the show. Rest assured: Some of our board members are parents, so our version of "family-friendly" is parent-approved. Some of our favorite drag show memories of all time involve very small children spontaneously joining the performers on the dance floor. Cutest. Thing. Ever. Pure joy.

Definitely! We'll have various performing artists on the main stage throughout the day.

We are no longer accepting performer applications for the 2023 Festival. Thank you! You can apply to be a performer for the Norman Pride 2023 Festival Weekend here.

Most vendors accept credit/debit cards, but you will need cash to tip our drag performers in the evening! There will be ATMs on site for your convenience.

Yes! One of our dedicated volunteer positions is providing assistance for guests who may need help getting around the park. If you know that you will require assistance, feel free to contact us to let us know ahead of time. If you find that you need assistance after you've already arrived, anyone with a Norman Pride lanyard will be able to connect you with the right volunteer.

Information Coming Soon!

There will be NRH paramedics on site at all times.

The full schedule will be posted soon!

Vendor booth registration: normanOKpride.org/vendor Food truck registration: normanOKpride.org/foodtruck

2023 Booth fees are as follows: Nonprofits: $50 Artists: $40 Businesses: $150 Food Trucks: $150 Vendors: Booth spaces are 10x10'. Additional space is available at a discount and must be used by the same vendor. You'll have several options to choose from on the registration form. Food trucks: Flat fee. Dimensions will be entered on the registration form. **EXTENDED DEADLINE: We are accepting registrations for vendor booths until April 28th! Payment must be made online at the time of registration.** Payment options: Pay online now (PREFERRED). The registration form is integrated with the Square payment platform. You will receive an invoice if you don't pay at the time that you submit your form. Pay online later. You will receive an invoice. Mail a check. You will receive an invoice. **Your booth space will be reserved once payment is received in full.** * All registrations and payments are due by April 14th. * Since we rely on registration fees for many of our Pride Weekend expenses, we do ask that vendors submit payment as early as possible. 😊

Vendor setup is 9:30am - 11:30am. You may arrive any time between 9:30 and 11:30, just make sure you're giving yourself enough time to be ready to greet festival guests by noon! Vendor tear-down / load-out is at 6pm. To ensure everyone's safety and enjoyment vendors should plan on leaving their booths set up until 6pm. Food Truck setup is 10:30am - 11:30am. The food truck entrance will not open before 10:30am. If you arrive before 10:30am, you will need to find a place nearby to park until then. Food Truck departure is 10:00pm Food vendors will have the option to continue to make sales throughout the finale OR close shop and watch the show.

For the safety and enjoyment of all our festival guests and participants, we ask that all vendors remain open for the full day (Vendors: noon - 6pm and Food Trucks: noon - 10pm) and only use the designated setup and tear-down times for transporting items and equipment. If you do not plan to stay until 6pm or think it will be okay to leave before 6pm anyway because you think nobody will notice and it's really not that big of a deal, please reconsider signing up for this event. We have had safety issues in the past that involved vendors packing up and leaving before they were supposed to. We're not asking you to commit to a 3 day festival. It's just 6 hours. You can do it. We believe in you. :) ALSO, you won't want to miss the finale! Our schedule allows vendors to load up their cars and come back to enjoy the show as festival guests. Food vendors and the beer garden will remain open until 10pm.

In order to avoid congestion on the park grounds and to ensure everyone's safety, vendors should expect to carry their setup equipment and items to their assigned spots. Additional details about load-in/out will be sent out as we get closer to the date. If you have a special circumstance or a setup that necessitates driving your vehicle directly up to your booth space, an exception may be possible but is dependent upon the weather and ground conditions on the day of the festival. Please email pixie@normanOKpride.org to discuss your options. Exceptions cannot be made the day of or on the spot, plans must be made ahead of time.

We know what it's like to set up at outdoor events. Take our advice and INVEST IN A WAGON. At least one. Vendors are responsible for bringing their own help for setting up and manning their booths. In order to help keep traffic flowing during check-in and setup, we will have volunteers available by request to help carry items from your vehicle to your booth space. PLEASE NOTE: We cannot guarantee the availability of a volunteer at the time of your arrival, so please allow yourself some extra time in case you need to wait. If at all possible, plan on bringing somone to help. Please also note that this is for load-in only. Volunteers will not be able to help you with setup, tear down, or load-out.

During setup hours, you will be able to pull your vehicle up to the perimeter of the park grounds and unload from there. After setup, the closest options to the park are: the lots adjacent to the west or south side of the park. Handicapped accessible parking is available in these lots. the lot across the street on Daws (south of the park, by the old library). the library and Legacy Trail parking lot (north of the park) the parking lots south and northeast of City Hall, both on the west side of Santa Fe (please do NOT park in the NPD lot on the east side of Santa Fe) the parking lot on the southwest corner of Webster and Tonhawa street parking is available on several of the surrounding side streets. Signs or barriers are posted where parking is prohibited.

Sure! If you'd like to set up your booth next to another organization or business's booth, please indicate this in your booth description on the registration form. Be sure to include the name of the other org or business, and suggest that they do the same on their form. We will assign adjoining booth spaces when we create the vendor map layout. Please note: a booth space of any size cannot be reserved for multiple businesses or organizations vendor spaces cannot be reserved until payment is received in full

The sale or promotion of any type of weapon or weapon-related item is strictly prohibited. This includes any item, clothing, or printed material that might promote use or ownership of weapons or indicate the endorsement of guns or other weapons by our organization. The sale or promotion of any item or service that contains images or verbiage that is or may be construed as hate speech. Violations of the above will result in immediate termination of vendor contract without refund. Also keep in mind: The sale of alcohol is prohibited except by Norman-based breweries/wineries at our beer & wine garden. Marijuana sales are prohibited. CBD products are allowed.

We are no longer accepting applications for our 2023 Festival Beer Garden. Thank you! Only Norman-based breweries and wineries can sell alcohol at the Norman Pride Festival. If you are a Norman-based brewery or winery, please contact us to join our Beer & Wine Garden vendors.

We're asking vendors to bring generators if they need electricity. Please do indicate on the registration form whether you will be using a generator, as it will determine your booth placement.

We sure do! These are the same rules & regulations that every vendor agrees to at the time of registration. Please share it with your entire group and ensure that everyone understands and can follow it. Consider printing a copy for reference. Click here to view the festival vendor policy. Click here to view the food truck/vendor policy.

Unfortunately, no. We are a small nonprofit and do not have the funds to provide these items. We apologize for the inconvenience and hope that someday we will be able to afford to do so. If you need a tent, you can find them for $50 - $200 at places like Academy, Walmart, Target, etc. Academy has a basic 10x10 pop-up tent for $49. Folding tables are generally around $30.

Cancellations made on or before April 22nd will receive a full refund of their registration fee. Cancellations made after April 28th are non-refundable. All cancellations must be made in writing via email. No refunds for day-of cancellations or no-shows. Refunds will be issued the week after the event. Thank you for understanding!

Downtown Norman at 7pm! The best place to watch is on Main Street between the train tracks / Jones Ave and Crawford Ave. Get there early for a good spot! If you are marching/rolling in the parade, you will need to arrive between 6 - 6:45pm and check in at The Depot on Jones. Sign up on our website at normanokpride.org/parade

The procession starts on Jones and Main Street (at the train tracks), then east on Main, south on Crawford, and west on Comanche to Jones. We'll post a map on the website as we get closer to Pride Weekend.

**EXTENDED DEADLINE: We are accepting registrations for the 2023 parade until April 28th! Payment must be made online at the time of registration.** Visit normanOKpride.org/parade

We want everyone who wants to participate in the parade to have the opportunity to do so! Some suggestions for individuals: Consider contacting a local organization or business to see if you can join their group. Consider grabbing some friends and/or family and making your own group You can always just march by yourself! Get decked out in rainbows, make a sign, wear a cape, dance, throw candy, give free hugs -- whatever you can do to show your PRIDE!

You bet! Our award categories this year are: most colorful most creative most energetic best overall

We sure do! These are the same rules & regulations that every parade participant agrees to at the time of registration. Please share it with your entire group and ensure that everyone understands and can follow it. Consider printing a copy for reference. Click here to view the pdf.

Yes please! We LOVE dogs. Well-behaved furbabies are more than welcome. Just be sure to keep them on a leash at all times, have a plan for water breaks, bring poop bags, and clean up after them. No exceptions! 🐶

Cancellations made on or before April 22nd will receive a full refund of their registration fee. All cancellations must be made in writing via email. No refunds for day-of cancellations or no-shows. Refunds will be issued the week after the event. Thank you for understanding!

You can view our sponsorship opportunities here!

Yes! You can sponsor us as a Friend of Norman Pride. Sponsorship levels range from $100 - $300. (Please contact us if you'd like to offer more than $1k!) Friends of Norman Pride can be: Individuals Families Pets (yes, really!) Groups of friends Classrooms, clubs, and other small independent groups, e.g., Mrs. Smith's 2nd grade class; Smalltown High School Class of '22; Smalltown Middle School GSA; Girl Scout Troop Rogue 1, etc. (Keep in mind, your parent organization may want you to include a disclaimer saying you are sponsoring as an individual group and not on behalf of the organization as a whole.) Grassroots organizations (unregistered as 501c3) Other unofficial or unincorporated groups

Sponsorships cover expenses like facility and equipment rental, event insurance, security, entertainment booking fees, permits, marketing/promotion, festival shirts, etc. Our current anticipated expenses are around $30,000. We truly cannot pull this off without sponsors like you!

Absolutely! We have multiple sponsorship areas available. Please email sponsor@normanokpride.org.

You can visit normanOKpride.org/donate to view all our donation options, or if you want to skip straight to an online monetary donation, go to donorbox.org/normanokpride

All sponsorships $150+ get a complimentary parade entry. You do have to register separately for the parade after you've signed up a sponsor, but you'll mark the "I have already paid" option. All sponsorships $250+ get a vendor booth in the sponsor section of the park. There's a space on the sponsorship registration form to describe your booth details so we can determine the best placement.

For the most part, yes. We work with sponsors to customize their festival booths, so there may be an occasional exception or modification to the usual rules and regulations. Our vendor policy is coming soon!

While both options provide the same kind of support for us, there are major differences between the two! Sponsorships: Allow us to publicly recognize your contribution and support. Allow us to actively promote your organization or business. Provide advertising/publicity. Are not tax deductible. Donations: Allow us to publicly thank you for your contribution and support. Do not allow us to actively promote your business or organization. Are tax deductible. A donation receipt should say "no goods or services were received in exchange for this donation." If anyone ever offers to advertise your business in exchange for a donation, they are offering you a sponsorship. This is an important distinction for businesses when it comes to taxes.

Unfortunately, no. We are a small nonprofit and do not have the funds to provide these items. We apologize for the inconvenience and hope that someday we will be able to afford to do so. If you need a tent, you can find them for $50 - $200 at places like Academy, Walmart, Target, etc. Academy has a basic 10x10 pop-up tent for $49. Folding tables are generally around $30.