Victoria Pride Society refocuses festival on 2SLGBTQIA+ community

Victoria’s Pride Parade returns to kick off summer in rainbow style after two years of online celebrations.

The much-anticipated in-person parade is a major part of the Victoria Pride Festival running June 23 to July 2 and hits the streets of the city on Sunday, June 26.

One of Victoria’s largest parades, it follows a new route for 2022 that takes participants east over the Johnston Street bridge, south onto Wharf Street before turning onto Government, Belleville and Menzies streets.

The organization also instilled a new process for vetting festival vendors. The new system aims to shine a light on diversity, equality and inclusion to ensure members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ communities remain the focus of the festival event that fills MacDonald Park on June 26.

Parade and festival vendor applications, and other information are available at victoriapridesociety.org.

READ ALSO: B.C. government amends over 740 instances of gender-based language in regulations

Other signature events include the Youth Pride Kickoff on June 24 at 6 p.m. (location to be determined); the Big Gay Dog Walk, June 24 at 6:30 p.m. at Dallas Road at Cook Street and the Memorial Drag Ball Game, July 1 at noon in Vic West Park.

Victoria Pride Society also elected nine new board members, named a new president and hired its first executive director. Long-time Victoria resident Britton Kohn (they/she) has been a Pride volunteer since 2011 and served as a director on the board for six years.

“I’m excited to collaborate with both an invigorated board of directors and our first ever executive director to ensure 2SLGBTQIA+ communities are the focus of our parade and festival, especially after two years of living in isolation,” they said.

Executive director Deirdre Rowland (she/her) is a social impact communications strategist for grassroots initiatives.

“We hope to expand our organizational capacity and in this new leadership role I hope to enable the Pride Society to become more sustainable and be better equipped to support inclusivity for all,” she said.

READ ALSO: Victoria Pride Society reveals history of annual Memorial Dragball Game