Capital Pride returning in person, but smaller, to Lansdowne Park

Capital Pride will be flying its colours, live and in person on Aug. 29 on the Great Lawn at Lansdowne Park.

The all-ages event runs from 3 to 10 p.m. as the feature event of this year's Capital Pride Festival, and according to organizers will include live and virtual performances.

The Lansdowne Park festival grounds will also feature a beer garden and food trucks.

The event will be smaller than recent Capital Pride festivals, organizers said, with limited capacity and COVID-19 safety guidelines in effect.

“We are proud to host this event and create an opportunity for the community to come together and reconnect after a challenging 18 months,” said Capital Pride executive director Osmel B. Guerra Maynes. “While Pride has never been cancelled, we recognize the challenge of creating community with virtual programming and are excited to invite folks to celebrate in person with us this year while we look to a bigger event in 2022.”

The TD Spectacular event will be hosted virtually by Priyanka, winner of Canada's Drag Race, and feature live performances by DJ Sandy Duperval, Kiki Coe and Adrianna Exposee.

The Peptides and Veils of Bollywood will be featured in virtual performances, with more performers to be announced in the coming week.

Capital Pride has developed a COVID-19 safety plan with guidance from local public health officials, organizers said. Attendees will be required to complete a COVID -19 screening questionnaire upon arrival and wear a face mask in high-traffic service areas such as the bar and washroom facilities.

Event capacity will be limited and social distancing will be in effect throughout the site, with attendees encouraged to make use of the large outdoor green space.

“We will be asking the public, volunteers, performers and vendors to all play their part in following our COVID -wise plans,” Guerra Maynes said in a statement. “At the same time, Capital Pride is continuing to offer a wide range of virtual events, recognizing that some folks may not be ready to celebrate in person.”

Attendees must sign up for free tickets, which will be available starting Monday at capitalpride.ca.

The 2021 Capital Pride Festival runs Aug. 23-29, and includes a mix of virtual and in-person programming. A full list of events and programming is at capitalpride.ca.