Vancouver Pride Parade: August 1, 2010
The day started out under cloudy skies as the masses, some 600,000+ strong, gathered in Vancouver’s West End.
Even before the parade began the camaraderie and revelry was evident in the large diverse crowd. Sitting with my friends from gayvancouver.net I was wedged in beside a lovely older lady, a recent retiree to Vancouver, who, with her partner, was very excited to celebrate her first Pride Parade. On the other side of me were two happy little girls, excitedly blowing on their whistles and cheering loudly when the parade came by.
As the parade began with the traditional ride by the ‘Dykes on Bikes’, like clockwork the skies began to clear and the sun emerged to brighten and warm the afternoon.
As the weather got hotter so did the parade participants…both literally and figuratively!
The crowd was treated to over 100 spectacular floats and entries covering the whole spectrum of the community: corporate entries from banks and retailers, LGBT sports organizations and support groups marched alongside elected officials of most political parties who were followed up by nightclubs and restaurants. Costumes ranged from simple shorts & tees to elaborate drag queens/kings to bikini clad go-go dancers. The main 2010 Pride theme of Liberate was evident in many of the floats and groups as everyone aimed to get their particular message across, whether political, educational or just plain fun. And judging from the crowd…they had fun.
After nearly 3 hours the parade wound down but the party didn’t. People headed to the Sunset Beach Pride festival to continue the festivities into the evening….and organizers probably began thinking about next year…will you be there?
If you think this is something you’d like to see next year, why not enter Tourism Vancouver’s great contest…Party of Five to Pride! You and four friends could win flights, accommodation and food to Pride 2011. Enter at TourismVancouver.com