At the first Pride Parade three decades ago, organizers who obtained a permit to hold the march were told they had to stay on the sidewalk.
A few hundred people turned up for the inaugural event in 1994, walking along Government Street from Victoria City Hall to the grounds of the legislature. “We didn’t know if people would throw rocks at us,” Debby Yaffe, the founding editor of LesbiaNews and a retired women’s studies instructor at the University of Victoria told the Times Colonist last year.
This Sunday’s 30th edition of the Pride Parade, which starts at 11 a.m. from the corner of Douglas and Fisgard streets and heads south, ending at Belleville and Menzies, is expected to attract thousands.
Last year, a crowd estimated at 80,000 cheered on about 125 entries.
The parade is the highlight of Victoria Pride Week hosted by the Victoria Pride Society. Last year, organizers introduced a My First Pride section for first-timers.
“We introduced this section as a way for people who are new to Victoria, newly out or just celebrating a new identity, to meet and make new friends,” said Ace Mann, president of the Victoria Pride Society.
Mann, an amateur calligrapher, designed the first banner the group walked behind. On Thursday, Mann picked up the professionally redesigned banner from The Flag Shop, one of the partners of the event.
“It’s gorgeous and I am thrilled,” said Mann. “I hope that this year, and in future years, new people who join will feel welcomed.”
This year’s parade will be led by members of the Songhees Nation, Indigenous elders and two-spirit guests, followed by close to 120 entries, including bands, non-profit groups, businesses and other organizations.
Entries come from across Vancouver Island, Vancouver and the surrounding area, Mann said.
“We wanted to keep it small and manageable,” said Mann, who was elected as president of the society in December.
Although officers with the Greater Victoria Police Diversity Advisory Committee will march in the parade, they will not do so in uniform. Police marching in Pride parades has been a controversial issue in past years.
The 1.6-kilometre route is much the same as last year — from the corner of Douglas and Fisgard streets, the parade will head south on Douglas, make a right at Humboldt Street, left on Government, right on Belleville and left on Menzies.
Road closures will begin at about 7 a.m. Sunday in the parade start area, which includes portions of Douglas, Fisgard, Herald and Chatham streets.
Roads along the parade route will be closed from just after 10 a.m. to about 1:30 p.m.
Police officers, reserve constables and volunteers will be on hand to direct traffic.
People are encouraged to take a short walk from where the parade ends to McDonald Park at 212 Niagara St. for Festival in the Park, the last event of Victoria Pride Week.
The festival grounds will open at 11 a.m., and entertainment kicks off at 1 p.m., with a long list of drag performers, DJs and other performers. The grounds will include around 130 vendors and a food court.
There will be two bars on-site, including a “sober bar” serving non-alcoholic mocktails, as well as fun drinks for children.
“The operator who offered the service last year did not return. But we decided that it was important to offer people a non-alcoholic alternative, so we will run the sober bar ourselves this year,” said Mann.
The children’s area will feature a stage with performances, Drag Storytime, crafts, a video-game lounge, a bouncy castle and an obstacle course.
To reduce congestion, the fenced venue will have more entry points than last year, with volunteers at the gates encouraging people to donate as they enter, Mann said. Those arriving by bicycle will find a secured bike-valet area.
• For more information, go to victoriapridesociety.org/pride-2024/parade.
• CHEK TV is broadcasting the parade live starting at 11 a.m. Sunday.
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