Full week of events planed as Nanaimo Pride kicks into high gear

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Last year’s Pride Parade saw dozens of entries march from Fitzwilliam St. to Maffeo Sutton Park. (Image Credit: File photo/NanaimoNewsNOW)

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Full week of events planed as Nanaimo Pride kicks into high gear

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A full calendar of events for the week is available on the Pride Society’s website, beginning with Monday’s trivia night and a flag raising at City Hall on Tuesday, June 9.

After taking over Neck Point Park last year, a silent disco is planned for Colliery Dam Park on Wednesday, June 10.

Weekend events include a sober pride party at the Nanaimo Museum on Friday, June 12, then the annual Pride Dance at the Vancouver Island Conference Centre the following night.

Semple told NanaimoNewsNOW creating a range of events for people to attend encourages community and builds connections for those who are public with their sexuality and gender identity, and others who may be seeking support.

“We want our events to be able to serve those parts of our community too, as things can get more divisive and more heated, it can become more harmful and more isolating for people who might not fully be out or be new to community, whether they just moved here or are just discovering themselves.”

Semple added rhetoric and political influence have ramped up against the 2SLGBTQ+ community in recent years, noting “a huge uptick in anti-2SLGBTQ+ rhetoric, mistreatment, violence, and harm against trans, two-spirit, non-binary individuals, and that affects folks of all ages.”

Sunday’s parade begins around 11 a.m. and lasts for about an hour.

A festival with 95 different vendors and 15 food trucks at Maffeo Sutton Park will run until around 5 p.m., featuring live music and entertainment.

Organizers are expecting around 15,000 people to attend, based on attendance over recent years.

Around 200 people attended a flag raising in Parksville on Monday, June 1, to kick off Pride Month in Oceanside. (Image Credit: Shaun Lee)

Oceanside Pride

While few events are planned for the remainder of June’s Pride month, flag raisings took place in both Parksville and Qualicum on Monday, June 1.

Parksville Pride’s Shaun Lee said around 200 people attended the second-ever such event in Parksville, marking a major step forward for the local community.

“We are in a growth phase. Organizations like Nanaimo have been around for many years, so we’re making our way, making our presence. We’re proud, and there’s a lot of support in Oceanside.”

Lee added they were thrilled to see support from a variety of other, more well-established communities.

“I had people all the way from the Malahat, Port Alberni, Courtenay, and Nanaimo, so they drove in, which was fascinating and beautiful. A lot of people in Nanaimo, it’s well attended by individuals there, but people tend to travel for Pride.”

Lee and Parksville Pride are hosting a fundraiser trivia night benefiting Reaching Out Assisting Refugees (ROAR) on Friday, June 19, at White Sails in Nanaimo.

The organization assists with the relocation and settlement of LGBTQI+ refugees to Canada by assisting with financial issues and helping find housing and other necessities.

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