A loud, proud Pride Week in Nanaimo is coming to a close today with a party at the park following this morning's parade through the downtown.
The Nanaimo Pride Society's week of events is ending Sunday, June 8, with a festival until 5 p.m. at Maffeo Sutton Park. There is non-stop entertainment at the Lions Pavilion, with musical entertainers, dance including drag performances, and a DJ, and there is an array of food trucks, market vendors, information booths and more set up at the park.
The parade was held along a new route this year, starting in the Old City Quarter, crossing the Bastion Street Bridge and through the new Pride progress intersection, then turning onto Front Street toward the park and the festival.
Lauren Semple, Pride society president, opened the festival with a few remarks, saying that Pride matters more than ever, considering the challenges members of the LGBTQ community face regarding their rights, safety and visibility around the world.
"Today is about visibility, it's about joy and love, but it's also about standing up, speaking out and protecting one another," she said. "That is why this year our theme is louder and prouder, because we will not be silenced, we will not be pushed aside. We are here and we are rising together. We are here to celebrate, to take up space, to be visible, to honour our elders, to support our youth, to remind each other that this community is resilient, proud and unstoppable."
