Pride Parade LOVE Balloons

The Vancouver Pride Festival is a gay festival in Vancouver’s West End that celebrates the city’s LGBTQIA2+ community. It includes a world-famous Pride Parade.

In 2022 the festival’s theme was “Together Again” and it took place around the end of July. The Vancouver Pride Parade itself happened in-person last year on Sunday, July 31st. In 2023 it’s scheduled to take place on August 6th.

Other related events happening during Pride Week include The Really Gay History Tours with Forbidden Vancouver, Pride Baseball with the Vancouver Canadians, Pride Night at Theatre Under the Stars, the Sunset Beach Festival, and Pride at the Pier in North Vancouver.

Below is information about the following:

Click any of the above links to jump to a specific event or topic, or continue reading to learn all about Vancouver Pride Week’s biggest and most popular events.

Vancouver Pride Festival

The Vancouver Pride Festival occurs each year around the end of July and the beginning of August. The Vancouver Pride Parade takes place on the Sunday (which is the second-to-last day of the festival). While Pride Week in Vancouver doesn’t take place until July, June is Pride Month worldwide so there are usually some celebrations then as well!

In 2020 Pride Week was going to run from July 27th until August 3rd and the parade was scheduled to happen on the 2nd. However, both in-person events were cancelled due to the pandemic and online events took place instead. The 2021 festival hosted in-person events along with virtual events from July until the beginning of August, with a de-centralized parade on August 1st.

In 2022, the parade took place an in-person event on Sunday, July 31st. In 2023 it happens on Sunday, August 6th. The festival meanwhile begins a week or two earlier.

About Vancouver Pride Week

Vancouver’s West End, especially along Davie Street, is famous for its rainbow colours and gay-friendly atmosphere anytime of the year, but especially in late July and early August when Vancouver’s annual Pride Festival takes place.

Hosted by the Vancouver Pride Society, the week of events is celebrated not only by Vancouver’s LGBTQIA2+ community, but by the entire city and visitors from around the world.

You don’t have to be a part of the LGBTQIA2+ community to appreciate the Vancouver Pride Parade as being one of the city’s most impressive annual parades.

In years when there isn’t a pandemic, hundreds of thousands of people turn out each year to enjoy the music, rainbow colours, festive atmosphere and crazy costumes. Even Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has joined in recent years to show his support!

When and Where

The Vancouver Pride Festival usually takes place the week leading up to BC Day which includes the first Monday in August. Most of the events take place in Vancouver’s West End, including at Sunset Beach. There are also events at other downtown locations though, as well as Pride at the Pier in North Vancouver.

Highlights of Pride Week include the Pride Festival at Sunset Beach (at 1204 Beach Avenue) and the Vancouver Pride Parade. Both take place on the Sunday of the August Long Weekend, with the parade starting at noon and the festival going all day.

In 2023 the parade happens on August 6th. The Sunset Beach Festival happens on the same date.

2022 Events Schedule

Below was the schedule for the 2022 Pride Festival. (Note: All events are subject to change.) 2023 details will likely be comparable.

June

Vancouver Pride Wellness Hub – a series of fitness and wellness classes designed for specific groups within the LGBTQ+ community (June 6th to 10th).
SPIN X DJ X DRAG – held at Milton Wong Plaza in Olympic Village, there were multiple spin classes with drag performers and DJs on hand (June 12th).
East Side Parade – a fun event in Grandview Park with live entertainment, barbecue and activities like trivia, giant Jenga and more. It took place from 11:00 am to 6:00 pm and was free to attend. There was also an afterparty at the Fox Cabaret from 7:00 to 11:00 pm (June 25th).

July

Love Intersections Panel – a screening of the film Yellow Peril Queer Destiny at SFU Woodwards with a Q&A with the filmmakers afterwards. (July 21st)
HotFruit/CoolWaters – a pool party in Point Grey with live music provided by the DJ duo MangoSweet. Open to QTBIPOC members and their families only. (July 24th)
Pride Anthem Rowing Workout – hosted by Club Row Fitness, this event was a special day of rowing workouts with a Pride theme. There was music playing loud and proud and plenty of rainbow workout gear. (July 26th)
Queer History Panel – a YouTube livestream that served as a panel discussion with a number of LGBTQ+ activists. (July 26th)
Theatre Under the Stars – Stanley Park’s Theatre Under the Stars had a special pride night performance of We Will Rock You with all donations on the night matched by the company and given to the Vancouver Pride Society. (July 26th)
Posh Ball 2022 – the 2nd annual edition of this party in the ballroom of the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver. It was a 19+ event. (July 29th)
Terry Wallace Memorial Breakfast – a pancake breakfast, with admission by donation, in honour of the man who helped keep Vancouver Pride financially stable in recent years. (July 30th)
AfroQueer – a celebration of the Queer Black community in Vancouver at Beaumont Studios. (July 31st)
Pride Parade – the flagship event of the festival, the parade begins on Robson Street on the west side of the city before ending at Sunset Beach. 2022 was the 44th year of the event. (July 31st)

Vancouver's Pride Lounge — The Pride Lounge at Stanley Park

Other Events in July 2022

In addition to the above events, there are various venues where you can kick back and enjoy drinks and performances from musicians and drag performers.

Rainbow Lounge – open from noon until well into the night on Granville Island. (July 22nd to 24th and 28th to 31st in 2022)
Vizzy Forest Lounge – located in Davie Village, open from 2:00 to 11:00 pm. (July 28th to 31st, 2022).
Pride Neighbourhood Patio at Bentall – open from 2:00 pm to 8:00 pm in Bentall Centre. (July 28th to 30th, 2022)

REALLY GAY HISTORY TOURS

Forbidden Vancouver is a locally-owned and operated walking tour company. They offer affordably-priced walking tours around downtown Vancouver, Gastown and Stanley Park on different days of the week.

On Sunday afternoons throughout most of the year they also offer their Really Gay History Tour which is a 2-hour guided journey around Vancouver’s West End.

On the tour you’ll learn about the city’s LGBTQ2+ community and its history (which includes bookstore bombings and police raids). The experience includes visits to Robson Square, Granville Street and Davie Street Village. All are welcome! In 2022 they also had extra sessions of the tour on July 28th, July 29th, July 30th and August 1st.

Click Really Gay History Tour for details about this specific tour, or see our article about Forbidden Vancouver Walking Tours to learn about the company and its other offerings.

Tour Guide in Davie Village — Forbidden Vancouver’s Really Gay History Tours Guide

Pride Run and Walk

The Pride Run & Walk has taken place in most recent years on the Sunday of the August Long Weekend at Sunset Beach. In 2019, however, it happened on July 21st. Originally scheduled for July 19th in 2020, the event went virtual due to the pandemic. The 2021 event was virtual as well.

The 2022 Run and Walk took place in person and it does so again in 2023! This year it happens on Sunday, July 23rd. The event usually begins at the Brockton Oval Fieldhouse in Stanley Park at 9:00 am. There is the option to do either a 5 km or a 10 km course. Both routes go along the seawall towards False Creek and as far as Yaletown before turning around and returning to Stanley Park.

The Pride Run & Walk is for people of all abilities. There are competitive runners as well as people just out for a fun time. Many participants dress up – often quite spectacularly and in bright colours. There are prizes for the best costumes. The event is usually entirely free to take part in, although donations are recommended.

For more details about the event and to register check out the Pride Run & Walk website.

Pride Picnic in the Park

The Pride Picnic usually takes place on the same day as the Pride Run & Walk. After runners complete the run or walk, they head to the picnic along with their supporters. Non-running folk just head straight to the picnic.

Taking place at Second Beach, the Pride Picnic started at 11:00 am in 2019. Anyone who wants is welcome to bring their food, non-alcoholic beverages and something to sit on.

The event didn’t take place in 2020 (at least not physically and in one place). With no regular Run & Walk in 2021 there was no picnic right after it that year, although there were a few different picnics scheduled between July 30th and August 1st. 2023 details are TBC.

Pride at the Pier

Pride at the Pier is one of the Vancouver Pride Festival’s newer (and smaller) events. It involves an alcohol-free and family-friendly dance party at Shipbuilder’s Square near the bottom of Lonsdale Avenue in North Vancouver.

Click Pride at the Pier for more information.

Pride at the Pier Characters — Pride at the Pier Drag Queen Participants

Pride Festival at Sunset Beach

The Pride Festival typically happens on the Sunday just before BC Day. It takes place on the same day as the Vancouver Pride Parade, which, in 2023, is on Sunday, August 6th.

Starting at 11:00 am and running all day, the free event takes place at Sunset Beach Park which is located at 1204 Beach Avenue which is just a short walk along the waterfront from English Bay Beach.

At the Sunset Beach Pride Festival there is the Pride Market. It usually features over a hundred different vendors and exhibitors. There is also live music, drag performances, DJ music, a beer garden and lots of people still in costume after participating in the Vancouver Pride Parade.

Although it officially starts at 11:00 am, don’t expect much to be happening at the Pride Festival at Sunset Beach until after 1:00 pm. Until then, everyone is at the parade which starts at noon and goes on for well over an hour.

From about 3:00 until 5:00 pm the festival usually gets very busy, with everything done and people packing up by around 6 o’clock.

Click Sunset Beach Festival for more information.

Sunset Beach at Pride Festival — Pride Festival at Sunset Beach

Vancouver Pride Parade

The largest event of its kind in Western Canada, the Vancouver Pride Parade is arguably the highlight of the Vancouver Pride Festival. Taking place on the last Sunday of Pride Week, so on the Sunday of the BC Day Long Weekend, it’s one of the city’s most impressive parades all year, and definitely its most colourful.

The in-person parade was cancelled in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. A virtual parade, however, took place on August 2nd. The 2021 parade was on August 1st in a “decentralized format”. What this meant is that people who wanted to participate were encouraged to have their own mini parades and celebrations with a “bubble” of safe people.

The 2022 Vancouver Pride Parade took place on Sunday, July 31st, from 12:00 to 3:00 pm. In 2023 it happens at the same time on August 6th.

The Pride Parade Route

The live in-person Vancouver Pride Parade usually starts at 12 o’clock at the corner of Robson Street and Thurlow Street in downtown Vancouver. It proceeds west along Robson Street, then south down Denman Street and finally along Beach Avenue before finishing at Sunset Beach. In total, the entire route is just under 3 km in distance.

The Vancouver Pride Parade is a large, long, colourful and entertaining parade. It lasts for well over an hour and includes rainbow-coloured floats, marching bands, and people in all kinds of colourful, exotic and sometimes unconventional costumes.

Click Pride Parade to learn more about the Sunday event.

Tips and Suggestions

Below are some tips to help you make the most out of your Vancouver Pride Festival experience in years when the big live events aren’t cancelled.

TIP #1: Get to the parade early if you want a good viewing spot. This is without a doubt one of Vancouver’s most popular parades and the streets get lined with gazillions of spectators. Unless you’re really tall, if you arrive late you’ll be seriously challenged to find a good place to watch from.

TIP #2: For the Sunset Beach Festival and Vancouver Pride Parade events, take public transit if you can. Parking is difficult and traffic is a nightmare.

TIP #3: If you’ve never been to the Vancouver Pride Parade, go! It’s a fun, inclusive, entertaining and impressive event.