Calgary Pride Festival arrives with in-person events, online offerings

CALGARY -

The Calgary Pride Festival returns with a number of live events after last year's event was forced to go online due to the ongoing pandemic.

The Pride Parade is typically the crown jewel of the multi-day event and this year a virtual event will be web-streamed on Sept. 5.

UPCOMING PRIDE EVENTS

A number of events are taking place throughout Calgary over the course of the Calgary Pride Festival, several of which lend themselves to giving back to the community.

An ongoing Pride Party at The Core shopping mall downtown features a decorated ‘Gram Garden’ area where people can take photos in a pride themed space.

The area allows retailers to celebrate with shoppers by collecting donations of cosmetics for the Skipping Stone expression program.

Chloe Streit, an expressions consultant with Skipping Stone, says the program helps Calgarians express who they are and feel safe to do so.

"We’re essentially helping folks out with their physical expression, helping people to feel maybe how they’re feeling on the inside, but on the outside too," Streit said.

"That can be anything like hair, makeup, clothing and anything people can do to express themselves for who they truly are."

Hair, makeup, and other cosmetic donations are accepted on site through the Calgary Pride Festival.

Other upcoming events this year include:

The B!G PRIDE drive-in performances in the TELUS Spark parking lot will be in-person as well as online from Sept. 1 through 5.

Symbols to celebrate gender and sexual diversity already abound at Central Memorial Park, where the surrounding pathway has been painted with the rainbow flag as well as Black, trans and Indigenous colours.

Other online events include a conversation with royalty from India —- the worlds first openly gay prince.

There are also several online panels on a range of topics from inclusion within organizations and coming out safely.

Among the in-person events, there will be movie screenings, story time for children, burlesque performances and a walking tour of Calgary's LGBTQ2S+ history.

While most events are free of charge, donations will be accepted for various charities that continue the work of inclusion, acceptance and pride.

A complete list of festival events is available at Calgary Pride.