What started as a grassroots event in Tipperary Park six years ago with a few hundred people has grown into a weeklong festival.
New West Pride kicks off this weekend, Saturday, Aug. 8, with a Vancouver Whitecaps soccer game, followed by a host of other activities leading up to the Street Party on Aug. 15.
Pride organizers say they expect the largest crowd yet, doubling last year’s tally of 13,000 attendees.
“I read an article a few years ago where they suggested New West was becoming the new West End, and I think there’s some real credibility to that,” said Jeremy Perry, president of the New West Pride Society. “We’re seeing a lot of people from the LGBTQ community moving to New West because it’s such a welcoming community, and as that’s occurring, more and more regular events are popping up that cater to that crowd.”
Perry said the biggest factor to Pride’s growth was last year’s decision to change the festival format by moving the event from the park to Columbia Street. 2014 saw the Street Party stretch from Fourth to Sixth. This year, it’ll go up a few blocks more to Begbie.
“Also, being accessible to the SkyTrain station really helped people come to the festival because the hill up to Tipperary Park can be challenging for some,” he added.
There are a couple of new things this year, including an extra stage at the Street Party. The kids’ section has also been expanded to include more family-friendly activities and the events being held throughout the week have increased from 20 to 25.
Head down to the Fireside Grill for some rainbow night karaoke on Aug. 13 or take the family to Pier Park for a picnic on Aug. 11. How does tapping your feet to Motown classics sound? Think you’ll miss out on something? The Record has you covered! For the whole schedule, look for our Guide to Pride.
While growth is a good thing, Perry said he has no intentions to make Pride as big as Vancouver’s.
“I think that something people appreciate about the New West Pride festival is that it really is a celebration of the community here in town. While a lot of people from Vancouver will come out to it, I think a lot of people, myself included, really like that it’s a smaller event.”
For more information, visit www.newwestpride.ca.
