Pride March back to its roots
Pride P.E.I. March to take place July 24; festival begins July 18
Pride P.E.I. is getting back to its roots this year with the return of the Pride March.
“Instead of a parade, the P.E.I. Pride Festival will host a march on July 24 at 12 p.m. starting at Rochford Square and ending at Confederation Landing,” said Scott Alan, who is responsible for organizing and delivering the festival.
“This year we’re going to march together for our rights, our lives, our love, our history, our progress and to bring visibility to issues many 2SLGBTQIA+ people still face today.”
“Pride started as a riot for liberation. The (first) Pride march in P.E.I. took place through the streets of Charlottetown in 1994, (with) its precedent set with the Stonewall riots in 1969.”
The Stonewall riots were a series of protests where members of the queer community in New York City fought back after police raided the Stonewall Inn to arrest patrons. In 1970, the first Pride marches took place in honour of Stonewall.
Since its early days as a grassroots resistance movement, Pride events in other communities have been coopted by corporations and big business, so Pride P.E.I. is reminding people of what the movement is about, Alan said, adding that this year there will also be no corporate sponsorship at the march.
“We’ve just found other places for our sponsors to shine throughout Pride and leave the march for what it’s meant to be — to raise awareness for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community and the issues we still face.”
The march ends at Confederation Landing on the Charlottetown waterfront, with musical performances for an audience that will be split into two cohorts of 200 people.
MORE THAN A MARCH
But that’s just a small sampling of what the festival has to offer this year, Alan said.
“Part of my directive was to decentralize Pride, so bring it out of Charlottetown and bring it into the smaller communities across P.E.I.”
This year, the P.E.I. Pride Festival, which will be held July 18-25, will feature 47 events across Prince Edward Island over 10 days.
“I’ve really focused on trying to create smaller events all across P.E.I. to engage everyone across P.E.I., the whole community,” Alan said.
“We’re everywhere from Montague to Moth Lane ... and everywhere in between.”
Events will range in size, from smaller, more intimate settings, to the Pride in the Park and Pride After Dark events, which will allow two cohorts of 200 guests.
“Especially with COVID regulations, it’s easier — or it’s smarter — to have smaller events where we can have really good traceability.”
With the variety this year, Alan said there has been lots of engagement from the wider community.
“It’s been a lot of positive response from community members and from businesses wanting to have events held in their venues.”
Some of those other events include flag raisings across the Island, drag shows, a poetry slam, lectures, an outdoor market, brewery hangouts, musical performances and wellness events