After a seven-year hiatus the Pride Parade is finally returning to Edmonton’s downtown streets on Saturday August 23.
The event, last held in 2018, was cancelled in 2019, just two months before it was set to take place. The decision was the result of disagreements within the organization about the involvement of law enforcement in the parade, along with some advocacy groups saying that marginalized groups were being underrepresented in the parade. The previous organizers of the parade have since dissolved; the organization is now run by the Edmonton PrideFest Association.
Though Pride month officially falls in June each year, many cities hold their festivities at different times across the summer. The city is abuzz with energy from the upcoming parade — back in May, Edify spoke with the executive producer of PrideFest Trevor Watson about the return of the parade.
“There are youth who’ve never experienced it because it’s been seven years,” Watson says. During that time, PrideFest has done a lot of community engagement. The thing they hear most often was about the absence of the parade. “It was heartbreaking to hear how many youth have had to travel hours to experience a Pride Parade.”
Starting in Churchill Square, the parade will march west along 102A Avenue, towards the Ice District Plaza before ending at the event’s festival ground at Rogers Fan Park. For the first time ever, the parade will be led by a Trans March, organized by RaricaNow (a non-profit organization that advocates for 2SLGBTQIA+ refugees). Those interested in participating can register to join the parade — or you can watch the whole thing from the sidewalk.
Watson says they are looking forward to some of the fabulous outfits that will undoubtedly be on display at the parade.“The youth are just so creative and seeing some of the amazing Pride-inspired outfits they come in — so with the return of the parade this year, we’re expecting to see a lot of colour and rainbow in the downtown streets.”
In addition to the parade, the weekend of August 22 – 24 will be filled with events for all ages, including brunch sing-alongs, an artist and artisan market, and musical performances from Fefe Dobson, Jamie Fine and Lu Kala.
Downtown | edmontonpridefest.com
