Vancouver Pride Week Festival & Parade 2011
byVancouver Pride Week kicks off Saturday July 23 and will finish off with the Pride Parade (one of North America’s largest). Drawing over half a million people to events, festivities, and the parade downtown each year, it’s one of the region’s most-anticipated celebrations.
Vancouver Pride Week
There’s much more to Pride Week than the Pride Parade and this year the calendar is packed. Here’s a quick rundown of some of the main events:
Saturday July 23 at 11:00 am
Picnic in the Park (at Stanley Park Brockton Oval). This event is youth-friendly, family-friendly.
Tuesday July 26 & Wednesday July 27 at 7:00 pm
Queer Arts Festival (at Roundhouse Community Centre & Theatre)
Thursday July 28 at 7:00 pm
Pride Movie Night (at Granville 7 Theatre)
Friday July 29 at 7:00 pm
Caya Davie Street Dance Party (in the Davie Village)
Saturday July 30 at 9:00 am
Terry Wallace Memorial Breakfast (at Bute & Davie). This event is youth-friendly, family-friendly.
Sunday July 31 at 11:00am
Sunset Beach Pride Festival. This event is youth-friendly, family-friendly.
Sunday July 31 at 12:00pm
Pride Parade This event is youth-friendly, family-friendly.
Vancouver Pride Parade 2011
Hundreds of thousands of people will line the streets of Vancouver’s West End for the colourful, celebratory, and lively Pride Parade. Starting off at Robson at Bute, the parade will head down to Denman and go all the way through English Bay to Sunset Beach. Stake out your spot on the curb early and be prepared to get up and dance, sing along, and get tons of swag thrown out by participants on floats.
Pride Week and the Pride Parade are presented by the Vancouver Pride Society, which offers programs and community support throughout the year. In 2010, their Legacy Fund benefitted AIDS Vancouver, Four Feathers Society, 411 Seniors Centre Society, Qmunity, and more.
Update During the Pride Festival and Parade post your photos to Twitter and tag them with @g_fad & @miss604 for your chance to win a g-fad pride wear kit. The winner will be drawn on Sunday at 2:00pm and will be able to visit the g-fad tent at the Pride Festival at Sunset Beach to pick up their kit.
North America Outgames
Vancouver is the second city to ever host the North America Out Games and they’ll be a large part of Pride Week this year running July 25th to July 31st. Instead of a torch relay, there are flag runners and a flag ceremony that will be held at the Vancouver Art Gallery July 25th. Flags will be run in several legs: From UBC, to Jericho Park, via paddle boat to Denman and Davie. Then from the base of Whistler Mountain to Grouse Mountain, to the Opening Ceremony at the art gallery (5:00pm to 7:30pm).
Sports competitions throughout the week at the Outgames are badminton, dance sport, eco challenge, golf, poker, soccer, softball, tennis, track & field, volleyball, a 10km run/4km walk, and the 6k vertical challenge.
The Opening Reception will then be at Club Five-Sixty and the Closing Ceremony (with Ace of Base, Dragonette, and more) will be at the Plaza of Nations July 30th.
I’d like to thank Aeden Saint, Clement C.Blaze, and Samantha Mack for having me on QueerFM this morning at the CiTR studios at UBC. They will have special coverage and 50 hours of live on-site broadcasts at various locations surrounding the OutGames.
4 Comments — Comments Are Closed
I think that the Pride Parade has been the most fun parade I have ever seen. Such high energy and smiles!
Great blog, we just had a fantasic pride across the water in Victoria as well!
Michelle(Consumer Protection BC)
Well, I am proud to be a Macho and being totally lesbian. I love only women. Now, is that an information I would share with the public? No. And it is not necessary, because it is nobody’s business… Think about it… Does someone need to tell me that he is proud to be gay? Kind of shake me and say: hey, r u listening? I am gayyyy! I would just say, ok, so what? I am straight, any problem with that?
Hey Mechanic- I’ve heard people comment along similar lines before, but I do think that Pride is important for us to celebrate. There are still places in the world where people are killed or put in jail for their sexual orientation. Until that changes, we need to celebrate, liberate, and educate. Meanwhile, straight men such as yourself will still think it is witty to call yourselves “lesbian”.
“LGBT pride or gay pride is the concept that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people should be proud of their sexual orientation and gender identity. The movement has three main premises: that people should be proud of their sexual orientation and gender identity, that diversity is a gift, and that sexual orientation and gender identity are inherent and cannot be intentionally altered. The use of the abbreviated gay pride and pride have since become mainstream and shorthand expressions inclusive of all individuals in various LGBT communities.
The word pride is used in this case as an antonym for shame, which has been used to control and oppress LGBT persons throughout history. Pride in this sense is an affirmation of one’s self and the community as a whole.
The modern “pride” movement began after the Stonewall riots in 1969. Instead of backing down to unconstitutional raids by New York City Police Department, gay people in local bars fought back. While it was a violent situation it also gave the underground community the first sense of communal pride in a very well publicized incident. From the annual parade that commemorated the anniversary of the Stonewall riots began a national grassroots movement.
Today many countries around the world celebrate LGBT pride. The pride movement has furthered the cause of gay rights by lobbying politicians, registering voters, and increasing visibility to educate on issues important to LGBT communities. LGBT pride advocates work for equal “rights and benefits” for LGBT people.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gay_pride