Vancouver Pride festival back in person for July 2022
Posted March 23, 2022 12:27 pm.
Last Updated March 23, 2022 2:54 pm.
The 44th Vancouver Pride festival will be “business as usual” this July 31, including the Sunset Beach Festival and Pride Parade.
The festival is one of Vancouver’s marquee summer events. The parade draws an estimated 400,000 people to the Downtown core.
Virtual events will also be held throughout the year.
The 2020 and 2021 parades were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but virtual and some in-person events were held.
“As public health restrictions lift here in British Columbia, a safe return of public events is highly-anticipated for the diverse 2SLGBTQAI+ communities we serve,” said Vancouver Pride Society Interim-Executive Director, Lee Keple.
The theme of this year’s festival is “Together Again.”
“Our theme this year aims to celebrate the beauty that comes in reuniting and uplifting these communities,” Keple said.
The society says the theme is meant to highlight the importance around gathering for in-person events again, and was inspired in part by a community organizer who hosted an event of the same name last summer.
Related: Vancouver Pride celebrates with ‘decentralized’ parades
This year, the Unicorn Ball will be back at the Imperial on Main Street. The in-person 19+ event on May 13 raises money for the Vancouver Pride Society’s Community Bursaries. Tickets are on sale April 1.
Nominations are also open for this year’s Pride Grand Marshals. They historically have been 2SLGBTQAI+ serving people or groups who have made a positive difference in the community.
If you want to nominate someone, you can do so online by April 15, 2022.
