New West Pride is back.
The annual celebration of the LGBTQ2S+ community returns to New Westminster this coming week, and it promises to be full of fun for folks of all ages.
The fun gets started tonight (Friday, Aug. 6) with a Pride Paddlewheeler cruise. There's a Pride Kick-Off at Begbie's Tavern on Sunday, Aug. 8, with the official City of New Westminster declaration and flag raising Monday at noon outside city hall. Pride Week is running Aug. 9 to 15.
The week includes some fitness fun (a workout in Simcoe Park and a Cardio Queens event at Westminster Pier Park on Monday) and a host of food and beverage-related socializing, including a Rainbow Lunch Brunch at Begbie's, Dining Under the Rainbow at the Old Spaghetti Factory, and wine slushies in all flavours of the rainbow at Pacific Breeze.
Events include a mix of online and in-person activities, with music bingo, trivia, and even a Zoom Bible study called Clobbering the Clobber Texts that delves into a number of biblical texts that have been used against the LGBTQ+ community.
As if all that wasn't enough, Saturday, Aug. 14 features a day full of fun at a Prismatica edition of Open Space Saturdays, running 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. outside Massey Theatre. People of all ages are welcome to enjoy kids' activities, a Drag Queen storytime, an All in the Family drag show, a dance party featuring DJ Spinintonic, a QueerProv comedy show, a Dandy and Friends comedy variety hour and more.
All the Open Space Saturdays shows are free; you can stay for awhile or stay for the day. Grab yourself some lunch from an uptown eatery or drinks from the concession inside to make a day (and a party) of it.
You can find the full events listing at the New West Pride website.
Follow Julie MacLellan on Twitter @juliemaclellan.
Email Julie, [email protected].
