Calgary Pride kicks off with a family-friendly outdoor festival this weekend
Calgary Pride is kicking off festivities this weekend in the heart of the Beltline, and it promises to be a day of fun for the whole family.
Pride Week Kickoff, happening at Central Memorial Park on Saturday, August 27, is a free and accessible event that features live entertainment, food trucks, and a marketplace.
The outdoor celebration is presented by TD Bank and is just one of many exciting Pride events happening around the city.
View this post on Instagram
Arrive early to snag your favourite spot to enjoy music by local indie rockers The Corey Hotline, the Youth Singers of Calgary, and Vancouver-based DJ Krista Mac throughout the afternoon.
There will also be a marketplace showcasing small businesses, artists, craft makers, and local non-profits. Booths and vendors to discover include Good Neighbour, Le Freak, Bù Vintage Shoppe, and more. The event will also feature a number of tasty food trucks.
The Corey Hotline/Instagram
Pride Kickoff is also a great opportunity to discover the gay history of the Beltline. Calgary Gay History Project’s Kevin Allen will be leading a free walk that begins in Central Memorial Park at 4 pm and ends in Lois Szabo Commons at 5:30 pm. Spaces for the walk are limited and registration is required.
“Central Memorial Park is an area of great historical importance to the LGBTQ2S+ community of Moh’kinsstis (Calgary), where we held our first Pride Rally in 1990,” Calgary Pride shared in a release. “Lois Szabo Commons, named after the founder of Moh’kinsstis (Calgary’s) first gay bar, Club Carousel in 1970, is an important park celebrating our queer history.”
Calgary Gay History Project/Facebook
The fun continues into the evening with a free outdoor screening of Kiki, a cross-cultural 2016 documentary that spotlights the lives of LGBTQ2S+ youth in Harlem’s masquerade, drag, and voguing scene. The screening is presented by Fresh Air Cinema and attendees are encouraged to bring their own blankets, chairs, snacks, and refreshments.
And make sure to keep the fun going all week and make plans to enjoy the massive Calgary Pride Parade on September 4 in the Beltline.
Calgary Pride Kickoff
When: August 27, 2022
Time: Festivities begin at noon. Movie screening at 8:30 pm
Where: Central Memorial Park — 1221 2nd Street SW, Calgary
Cost: Free
Community Partnership Content
Follow Channels and Categories