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Vancouver Pride Festival

Pride Parade LOVE Balloons

The Vancouver Pride Festival is a gay festival in Vancouver’s West End that celebrates the city’s 2SLGBTQIA+ community. It includes a famous Pride Parade.

In 2024 the festival happens between July 26th and August 4th.

Related events that typically happen 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 Pride Festival, and Pride at the Pier in North Vancouver. On August 6th last year was also the Vancouver Pride Boat Party with Vancouver Boat Parties. In the Fraser Valley later in August there is the Chilliwack Pride Festival.

 


Below is information about the following:

About Pride Week | When & Where | Events Schedule | Pride Run & Walk | Pride Picnic | Pride at the Pier | Festival at Concord Community Park | Pride Parade | Tips & Suggestions | Other Information


 

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.

 

Really Gay History Tour

 

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. 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 as an in-person event on Sunday, July 31st. In 2023 the parade happened on August 6th. The festival meanwhile began a week or two earlier. In 2024 the parade happens on Sunday, August 4th.

 

Pride Parade on Denman
Vancouver Pride Parade on Denman Street

 

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 2SLGBTQIA+ community, but by the entire city and visitors from around the world.

You don’t have to be a part of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community to appreciate the Vancouver Pride Parade as being one of the city’s most impressive annual parades.

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. 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 and the Vancouver Pride Parade. In previous years, the Pride Festival was a one-day event at Sunset Beach. However, in 2023 the Pride Festival took place at Concord Community Park near Science World on two days. This year’s festival takes place at the same location on both August 3rd and 4th of the BC Day Long Weekend. The Pride Parade happens on August 4th in 2024 with a new route.

 

2024 Events Schedule

Below is the schedule for the 2024 Pride Festival as of mid-March. (Note: All event details are subject to change.)

 

July

  • Opening Ceremony – an event at Davie Street Lounge (1207 Bute Street) featuring welcome speeches, inspirational talks and live entertainment. (July 26th)

 

Vancouver's Pride Lounge
The Pride Lounge at Stanley Park

 

August

  • Queer Rights Summit – new for 2024, this event is a way to discuss current challenges faced by the Queer community and exchange helpful ideas. It takes place at the Sheraton Vancouver Wall Centre at 1000 Burrard Street. (August 1st to 3rd)
  • Pride Festival – a free two-day festival at Concord Pacific Place with live music, local vendors and other things to do. (August 3rd & 4th)
  • Pride Parade – the flagship event of the festival, the parade route is between Beach Avenue at Sunset Beach and Concord Pacific Place. 2024 is the 46th year of the event. (August 4th)
  • Closing Ceremony – the final event of this year’s festival is held at Granville Island Lounge. It’s an evening showcase of celebrations featuring drag shows, music and more. (August 4th)

 

Really Gay History Tour

 


REALLY GAY HISTORY TOURS

Forbidden Vancouver is a locally-owned and operated walking tour company. It offers 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 Forbidden Vancouver also offers its Really Gay History Tour which is a two-hour guided journey around Vancouver’s West End.

On the tour you’ll learn about the city’s 2SLGBTQIA+ 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!

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 did again in 2023! Last year it happened on July 23rd. In 2024 the event takes place on Sunday, July 28th.

The event usually begins at the Brockton Oval Fieldhouse in Stanley Park at 9:00 am. There is the option to do either a five-kilometre or a 10-kilometre course. Both routes go along the seawall towards False Creek and as far as Yaletown before turning around and returning to Stanley Park most years.

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 folks 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. The event may or may not have happened in 2023. 2024 details are to be confirmed.

 

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 Shipbuilders’ 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 Concord Community Park

The Pride Festival typically happens on the Sunday just before BC Day. In 2023, however, the festival took place on both the Saturday and Sunday of August 5th and 6th. The same is the case in 2024. This year, the festival runs on the Saturday and Sunday of August 3rd and 4th.

The free event used to take place at Sunset Beach Park, but as of last year, its new location is Concord Community Park along Pacific Boulevard.

At the Pride Festival there is usually a Pride Market. It features over 100 different vendors and exhibitors. There is also normally 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 most years, don’t expect much to be happening at the Pride Festival 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 pm until 5:00 pm the festival usually gets very busy, with everything done and people packing up by around 6:00 pm.

Click Pride 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 that 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 pm to 3:00 pm. In 2023 it happened at the same time on August 6th. The 2024 parade takes place on Sunday, August 4th. The exact starting time is to be confirmed.

 

The Pride Parade Route

The live in-person Vancouver Pride Parade usually starts at 12:00 pm at the corner of Robson Street and Thurlow Street in downtown Vancouver. However, the parade had a new route in 2023, and another new route in 2024.

This year, it looks like the parade takes place between Beach Street at Sunset Beach and Concord Pacific Place near BC Place Stadium. This year’s exact route and schedule are to be confirmed.

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 flamboyant, exotic and sometimes unconventional costumes.

Click Pride Parade to learn more about the Sunday event.

 

Pride Parade Crowds on Robson
Pride Parade Crowds on Robson Street

 

Tips & Advice

Below are some tips to help you make the most of your Vancouver Pride Festival experience.

TIP #1: Get to the parade early if you want a good viewing spot. This is without 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 Pride Festival and 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.

 

BC Day Long Weekend

 

Other Information

For more information, see the Vancouver Pride Society website.

To learn more about the parade click Vancouver Pride Parade.

To learn about similar events happening in other parts of the Lower Mainland, see our article about Metro Vancouver Pride Events.

Another popular 2SLGBTQIA+-themed event is the Whistler Pride and Ski Festival in winter. In the summer there is also Squamish Pride at Britannia Mine, Pride at the Pier, the Chilliwack Pride Festival, Surrey Pride Festival and New West Pride Festival.

For a list of other events taking place around the same time in and around Vancouver, click BC Day Long Weekend.

For information on other major events throughout the year, see Vancouver’s Festivals & Events Calendar.