This year’s 5X Festival celebrations have just been super-sized with a free kickoff event added to the lineup this coming weekend. The festival celebrates the best of South Asian music, art, and creativity June 11-17, 2022 starting with a Blockparty and followed by the free community celebration, the infamous Art Party, a night of storytelling with 5X Podcasts, and culminating with 5X Pride.
5X Festival Lineup
5X Blockparty Saturday, June 11 from 11:30am to 6:00pm at Holland Park
Tickets include concert access, an array of food vendors, art installations, a merchandise area and the finest brown escapist experience you’ve ever encountered. Tickets are available online for $30.
5X Reopening Celebration Saturday, June 11 6:00pm to 9:00pm at Holland Park
Featuring viral Jalebi-baby sensation Tesher, local super-producer Intense, JUNO Award winner DJ Shub, the iconic Delhi 2 Dublin, and various other personalities and community heroes, this free community event will take place immediately after the 5X Blockparty.
5X Art Party Sunday, June 12 from 4:00pm to 10:00pm @ Beaumont Studios, Vancouver
The hottest South Asian art event of the year. The 5X Art Party is home to all the coolest movers and shakers, creators and creatives the lower mainland has to offer. Sold out every year so get your tickets now, they’re available online for $30.
5X Podcasts: The Power of Storytelling Tuesday, June 14 and Wednesday, June 15 from 6:00pm to 8:00pm @ Decibel Warehouse, Surrey
5X is the essential festival and digital community elevating South Asian youth culture. Run year-round by a young team of activists and thought leaders from Surrey, 5X Fest is the organization’s flagship event. Championing the best of South Asian music, art and culture for millennial and Gen Z audiences, the festival brings the liberated spaces of social media into a real, physical experience. For more information and updates about the 5X Festival, follow along on Facebook and Instagram.
Vancouver Pride Society (“VPS”) has announced its full schedule for the 2022 season. The organization has planned a variety of signature and partnered events spanning a mostly in-person lineup with digital experiences for those who choose to experience Pride differently amid COVID-19 safety measures.
This year’s festival is themed Together Againand is meant to highlight the excitement and importance of 2SLGBTQAI+ communities taking up space and gathering for in-person, community-focused events once more. Programming will run throughout the city for nearly two months beginning today, June 6. The dedicated Vancouver Pride Week, with signature events including the Vancouver Pride Parade and Sunset Beach Festival, will take place from July 21 to August 1, 2022.
“It’s been three years since we’ve had our major in-person Pride events in Vancouver for a variety of reasons,” said Lee Keple, Interim Executive Director of VPS. “COVID-19 has presented a number of challenges for event organizers like us as well as the 2SLGBTQAI+ communities that we serve. To have our signature programming safely return to Vancouver, to see these communities coming together again to celebrate Pride—it’s something we’ve been waiting for and working towards for a long time.”
VPS’s first signature event, East Side Pride will take place later this month on June 25 in Grandview Park. Attendees can look forward to this free, all ages experience featuring an array of diverse performances, 2SLGBTQAI+ community vendors, as well as food and drink trucks. In the evening, celebrations will continue in partnership with Do604 at Thrive With Pride, the official after party at Fox Cabaret. At this 19+ event, local shining stars will grace the stage to perform musical numbers, drag and more.
Vancouver’s Pride Parade will take place in downtown Vancouver on July 31. The organization is delighted to announce this year’s Grand Marshals are Annie Ohana, an educator and community activist with a background in organizing and anti-oppression work; Emperor Victor the Victorious and Empress Fancy Pants representing the Dogwood Monarchist Society, a not-for-profit organization tasked with providing social interaction in Vancouver’s 2SLGBTQAI+ community, and Kristen Rivers (tiyaltelut) a member of Squamish Nation Council and a strong advocate for women and 2SLGBTQAI+ rights. All Grand Marshals were selected through a public nomination process.
During Pride week in July, VPS has a stacked lineup of programming outside of the parade. Some highlights include an online discussion of queer history rooted in what’s colonially known as Vancouver, a series of partnered lounges that will pop up throughout the city with a brand new location set for Granville Island, and the return of Drag Deliveries—a drag road crew taking the streets of Vancouver to perform trivia and giveaways.
The #CHVCatchUp is a monthly series featuring the latest updates and news from Covenant House Vancouver (“CHV”). Miss604 is proud to be the Official Blog Partner of CHV. This month’s post has been written by Jason Bosher.
Covenant House Vancouver Celebrates Pride Month
Happy Pride Month, everyone!
Although considered by many as a celebration, it is important to remember that the origins of Pride began with an uprising against oppression and discrimination.
What is considered Pride Month in Canada and the US, had its beginning in June of 1969 with the Stonewall Riots in New York City.
Canada has its own rich history in the struggle to attain LGBTQ+ rights. Here are some notable events in Canada’s Pride history:
May 14, 1969, Decriminalization of homosexuality
August 28, 1971, first gay rights protest—citizens from Ottawa, Montreal, and Toronto gathered at Parliament Hill. A small group in Vancouver protested at Robson Square
August 1, 1973, Pride Week emerges with a shift to gay liberation—celebrated in many cities including Vancouver, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Saskatoon, and Winnipeg. This event was the shift from a Homophile Movement to the concept of gay pride
August 1, 1981, Vancouver’s first official Pride Parade
May 17, 1990, WHO remove homosexuality from the disorder list
July 27, 1990, the contemporary term Two Spirit (niizh manidoowag) is coined
July 20, 2005, Bill C-38 became federal law, which gives same-sex couples the legal right to marry
February 8, 2010, British Columbia hosted the 2010 Winter Olympics, and for the first time, the games included the Pride House for LGBTQ+ athletes
LGBTQAI2S+ Youth and Homelessness
Understanding why certain communities of youth are overrepresented in the homeless population, is an imperative first step in finding ways to best serve and support them.
Covenant House Vancouver strives to be inclusive and supportive to both staff and youth that we serve. Covenant House Vancouver’s Rainbow Advisory Committee is made up of staff members from each department in the agency. They are dedicated ensuring that we use best practices to serve our LGBTQAI2S+ youth and that we continue to enhance our spaces, policies, procedures, and programs.
Here are a few ways to show your Pride this month:
Learn more about the history and importance of Pride. There is a myriad of resources online, at the library, and through organizations in your community. Pflag Canada (a national charity to help family members understand and accept their LGBTQAI2S+ children) is just one example
Converse—share your knowledge or experiences. Be an ear for someone who is reaching out
Participate in and/or celebrate Pride events. Several cities across the Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley celebrate Pride at different times throughout the summer
Show Youth Your Pride
If you would like to show your Pride by supporting the youth that Covenant House Vancouver serves, their Match Campaign is on now! Every dollar donated will be matched, thanks to the estate of Mr. Roman Babicki. Donate today and double your impact.
Summer day camps in Stanley Park are back! EcoCamps are presented by the Stanley Park Ecology Society (“SPES”) over ten weeks, each with a different theme focusing on ecology and conservation. They’re a great way for children to learn outdoor skills, spend time in nature, and uncover the mysteries of the natural world.
SPES campers birdwatch at Beaver Lake. Photo by Anthony Ho.
Summer Day Camps in Stanley Park SPES EcoCamps Schedule
The EcoCamps will run daily, Monday to Friday, from 9:00am to 4:00pm, and the EcoTots program will run Thursdays from 1:30pm to 2:30pm.
July 11 to 15, 2022 Flying Wonders (age 7 to 11)
July 18 to 22, 2022 Art in the Park (age 7 to 11) – Sold Out
July 25 to 29, 2022 Animal Detectives (age 6 to 8)
NEW: July 25 to 29, 2022 EcoLeaders (age 11 to 14)
Aug 2 to 5, 2022 Wild about Water (age 7 to 11)
Aug 8 to 12, 2022 Forest Explorers (age 7 to 11)
Aug 15 to 19, 2022 EcoStewards (age 9 to 12)
Aug 22 to Aug 26, 2022 Art in the Park (age 7 to 11)
Aug 29 to Sept 2, 2022 Stanley Park Survivor (age 7 to 11)
NEW: Aug 4th, 11th, 18th, 25th – EcoTots (age 2 to 4 with parent/guardian)
Campers will embark on an exciting educational adventure among the giant trees, sandy beaches and hidden wetlands of Stanley Park. They will spot migrating waterfowl, search for signs of flying squirrels and beavers, explore the patterns of nature, and find buried treasure – all while spending valuable time outdoors.
These camps often sell out and can be a favourite part of many children’s springs or summers. With one week already sold out there spots are bound to fill up fast so register today.
For more information about Stanley Park EcoCamps and other SPES programs, follow along on Facebook and Instagram.
Stanley Park Ecology Society promotes awareness of and respect for the natural world through collaborative leadership in environmental education, research, and conservation in Stanley Park. Miss604’s Rebecca Bollwitt is a Board Executive of SPES.
Festivals are back, outdoor concerts are back, night markets, street parties, they’re all back! This month’s event list is the longest I’ve put together in years – I know I keep saying that but the events just keep coming and it’s wonderful. To kick off your June in style, enjoy a lineup of music, free outdoor fun, theatre and many more things to do in Vancouver this weekend:
Things to do in Vancouver This Weekend June 3-5, 2022
