Vancouver Pride Parade; Photo: Lung Liu
Vancouver’s 2SLGBTQAI+ communities have a long and proud history of activism and changemaking. This year’s Pride Season promises to be an exciting and inclusive roster of events, festivities, and talks as Vancouver hosts Canada Pride 2024.
Vancouver’s Pride Parade, which began nearly 50 years ago, celebrates the important work of 2SLGBTQAI+ communities in the fight for recognition and equality. Over the years, it has expanded to become a multi-day event with a range of innovative and lively programming. Moreover, this year, the Vancouver Pride Society, in collaboration with Fierté Canada Pride, has the honour of hosting Canada Pride, a nation-wide championing of 2SLGBTQAI+ identities and rights.
Vancouver, as a city of expansive diversity, is the ideal site for a local and national celebration that brings together 2SLGBTQAI+ communities and their allies. Moreover, the city’s natural beauty—with its mountains and water views—makes Pride events here very distinctive. Running July 26 to August 4, 2024, Canada Pride in Vancouver has a jam-packed calendar of programming, ranging from a new Queer Rights Summit to the always anticipated Pride Parade. The theme is “Infinite Horizons,” underlining the hopeful possibilities that are being championed through the various events.
Here are Canada Pride events in Vancouver to look forward to this Pride season:
The Vancouver Pride Society is opening and closing (August 4) Canada Pride with style, respect, love, and entertainment. On July 26, from noon to 1pm, Bubly Davie St. Lounge will be the site of Canada Pride’s Opening Ceremony, encompassing greetings from Host Nations, speakers, and stage performances. The Closing event on August 4 from 10pm to 11:55pm at the Granville Island Lounge is a fun party with drag performances, DJ sets, and musical guests.
Vancouver Pride; Photo: Destination Vancouver/Vision Event Photography Inc.
For the first time, Vancouver Pride is holding a Queer Right Summit, happening August 1-3, 2024 at the Sheraton Vancouver Wall Centre. This three-day conference will bring together a diversity of individuals from 2SLGBTQAI+ communities as speakers in order to facilitate dialogue and solidarity and collectively come up with strategies for action. The Summit came about due to the real national and international threats facing the queer community and the need to create a forum for active conversation. Stay tuned for more details regarding speakers and registration.
VanPride Fest is returning this year for two days (August 3-4, 2024, noon to 7pm) at Concord Pacific Place. Everyone is welcome to take part in the celebrations, which are geared toward the whole family. The Fest features performances from winners and participants of Canada’s Drag Race, live music from artists like Witch Prophet, DJ sets, in addition to other interactive activities. Food trucks will be in attendance serving diverse international eats while vendors will be selling merchandise and artisanal goods.
Photo: Vancouver Gaymers
The Bubly Davie St. Lounge will be the venue for numerous events from July 26 to August 4. They include Whiskeyjack’s Wet and Wild Pop Disco (July 27, 3pm to 7pm) with a 2SLGBTQAI+ water polo team; a Terry Wallace Memorial Breakfast (August 3, 8am to 1pm) with pancakes by donation; and a dance party, Babes on Babes (August 3, 3pm to 10pm), with DJs and live performances.
In addition, the Granville Island Lounge at Ocean Artworks will from August 1 to 4 host numerous community gatherings, such as Sweet Soul Saturday (August 3, 4pm to 9pm) for artivism and poetry and Gaymers (August 4, 1pm to 7pm) for connecting with fellow gamers through the group Vancouver Gaymers.
Vancouver Pride Parade; Photo: Lung Liu
Vancouver’s West End comes alive during the annual Pride Parade, this year set for August 4, 2024 (roughly noon to 4pm). Last year, Vancouver Pride Society introduced significant changes from years past in order to aid with capacity, accessibility, and transit ease. The parade starts at the intersection of Davie and Denman Streets and then winds its way along Beach Avenue and Pacific Street before concluding at Concord Pacific Park (the festival location).
What remains unchanged is the amazing community spirit of the Parade that is palpable in the many elaborate floats, energetic groups participating, and in the large crowds that line the streets to cheer everyone on. The music, dancing, smiling faces, and joyous voices make the Parade the highlight of Vancouver Pride Season.
The above events represent a selection of the many exciting happenings at Vancouver Pride. Others include the 2024 Black Parade (August 3, 7pm to 10pm) at Celebrities Night Club with drag and burlesque performances and a ticketed Public Disco Pride Block Party (August 3, 3pm to 11:30pm) at West 3rd Avenue and Ontario Street. There are also a host of unofficial Pride events happening at bars and restaurants around the city.
This year’s Vancouver Pride—and Canada Pride 2024—will be unforgettable! Please see Vancouver Pride Society for further details.