Loud & Proud Pride Fest set for Sept. 9 on the Square

Going on to its third consecutive year, Loud & Proud Pride Fest is an independently- owned festival that takes place in the heart of San Marcos during the city’s pride celebration. This year, the festival will take place starting on Sept. 9 and will feature LGBTQ+ live bands, drag performers and DJ/Producers from all over Texas. Also for the first year, Loud & Proud Pride Fest will bring in nationally known acts, including Moore Kismet.

The alias Moore Kismet (meaning “more than fate”) is a representation of 18-year-old musician Omar Davis that expresses their continual creative journey. Moore Kismet has garnered support from some of the biggest media platforms in the world. Constantly leading the charge, they were included in Billboard’s 21 Under 21 list three years in a row, from 2020 to 2022, and was named the youngest artist to ever perform at both Lollapalooza and EDC Las Vegas in 2021. Moore Kismet excels as a multidisciplinary creative with a focus on visual arts, filmmaking and graphic design. Moore Kismet’s unique production style and stage presence is anything but predictable, which has set them apart from the crowd. Moore Kismet released their debut album “UNIVERSE” this past June.

Loud & Proud Pride Fest takes place at three venues in downtown San Marcos, including The Marc, The Porch and in conjunction with a vendor’s market at Sean Patrick’s Irish Pub.

The festival begins at 11 a.m. with the SMTX Pride Parade. Festivities continue with everything from local vendors to drag performances to live bands and EDM performances until 2 a.m.

Proceeds from the festival will benefit OutYouth, Bobcat Pride Scholarship Fund and more organizations that support LGBTQ+ youth and adults all over the country in a variety of areas to help keep members of the community safe while supporting their journeys.

“We are so excited to be going onto year three of Loud & Proud, and in the heart of Downtown no less,” said festival co-founder Amanda Miller, also known as DJ Aminal and owner of the Dose of Dance DJ collective. “We really wanted to represent all of the unique sides of the queer community, from drag to live music to the EDM world (which wouldn’t even exist without the queer community) and encourage everyone to be a part of the celebration while still being able to attend the city’s celebration. It is so crucial, now more than ever in Texas, to be as loud and proud as we can.”

“Loud and Proud provides an important space for the LGBTQ+ community in San Marcos and surrounding areas,” said Maddie Ava, Loud & Proud co-founder and leading lady in the band ‘Maddie & The Deadnames. “It uplifts, empowers and inspires the community, which is deeply needed in a State like Texas. I’m excited to see the smiling faces of all the people in our community; this is entirely for them.”

Tickets are on sale atthemarcsm.com as well as during the vendors market on the day of the festival, Sept. 9. Tickets will grant entry to live music performances at The Porch (from 3 - 10 p.m.) and the drag show and DJ performances at The Marc (from 7 p.m. -2 a.m. Sept. 10).

Loud & Proud Drag Brunch will be free to the public at The Porch from 12 p.m. The vendors market at Sean Patrick’s Irish Pub is also free to the public and will be open from 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. on Sept. 9.

A full schedule of events will follow in the coming weeks and can be found on the official Loud & Proud Pride Fest Instagram page @loudandproudpridefest.

Vendor applications and more information can also be found on the Instagram page or by contacting loudandproudpridefest@gmail.com