Vancouver Pride Festival

Celebrating “gay pride” and the LGBTQ2+ community, the Vancouver Pride Parade is a colourful event taking place on the Sunday of the BC Day Long Weekend.

In 2020 the extravaganza-style procession was cancelled and a virtual event took place instead. The 2021 Vancouver Pride Parade took place in a mostly-online format, but the 2022 event happened in its usual, pre-COVID in-person format.

The next Vancouver Pride Parade happens on Sunday, August 6th, in 2023. This year, the event once again takes place live and in-person.

Vancouver Pride Parade

The Vancouver Pride Parade is one of Canada’s largest LGBTQ-themed parades. It’s also arguably one of Vancouver’s most interesting and colourful events of the year.

The parade is part of Pride Week and the Vancouver Pride Festival which take place between late July and the BC Day Holiday Monday. The parade takes place on the last Sunday of the festival.

If you’re looking for information about Pride Week in general, check out our article about the Vancouver Pride Festival. If wanting details about just the parade, continue reading. And for details about a similar event in Whistler in winter, see the WhatToDoInWhistler.ca website.

For people who like parades and both fancy and flamboyant costumes, are supportive of the LGBTQ community, can handle large crowds, and don’t mind seeing a bit of skin and the occasional person in their underwear, the Vancouver Pride Parade can be a very fun event. Truly, it’s an impressive thing to see!

The Vancouver Pride Parade is a very gay event, but you don’t have to be “gay” to enjoy the festivities. It’s family-friendly, and even Prime Minister Justin Trudeau shows up most years.

When and Where

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

In previous years, the parade used to begin on Thurlow Street. However, in 2023 the parade floats and other entries assemble at the corner of Denman Street and Davie Street in the morning. The procession heads east along Beach Avenue and continues onto Pacific Boulevard. It finishes at Concord Community Park where the Pride Festival takes place.

Pride Parade Crowds on Robson — Pride Parade along Robson Street

Special Accessibility Services

For those with mobility issues, there are usually a couple of accessible viewing areas during the parades. In past years, one was at the corner of Denman Street and Haro. The other was on Beach Avenue near Broughton Street. Folk who wanted access to these areas were able to reserve their spots by e-mailing accessibility@vancouverpride.ca.

Also good to know, there was a free shuttle bus in 2019 from Waterfront Station to Beach Avenue for folk needing to get to the Beach Avenue accessible viewing area.

Hopefully 2023 will be similar, although exact details are to be confirmed..

Interested in an LGBTQ-friendly guided walking tour around Vancouver’s West End? Then check out Forbidden Vancouver Walking Tours.

About Vancouver’s Pride Parade

The first Vancouver Pride Parade took place in 1978, which makes 2023 the event’s 45th anniversary.

Today the event is the largest of its kind in Western Canada. Hundreds of thousands of people attend during more normal years, and as many as 150 entries participate. There are marching bands, people on floats, and politicians waving from cars or simply walking along.

As stated on the Vancouver Pride Society’s official website, the parade is “A celebration. A protest. A party. A place to take up space. An opportunity to don our finest and shiniest. A chance to recognize how far we have come and reflect on where we need to go from here.”

Pride Parade Participants

What to Expect

Expect to see lots of people from the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual and two-spirited (LGBTQIA2S) community at the Vancouver Pride Parade, both in the procession itself and watching from the sidewalk. Expect to see lots of their friends and supporters too, plus thousands of regular straight folk all having a great time.

According to some estimates, well over half a million people turn out for the parade and related events on the same day. It’s impressive!

At the parade you can expect to see all the colours of the rainbow and sidewalks packed full of spectators. There are also extravagantly decorated floats, people in all kinds of wild and crazy costumes, music blaring, bands playing, people dancing and tons of folk having a blast.

In the parade there are people dressed in regular clothes, but many also in rainbow-coloured outfits, drag and Mardis Gras-style costumes. A few are in just their underwear, others are in swimsuits, some have body paint and a lot of men are shirtless. Pride flags are everywhere!

VANCITY, THE LGBTQ COMMUNITY & HISTORY

Did you know that Vancity Credit Union was Canada’s first financial institution to market to the LGBTQ community through mainstream advertising? They started that back in 2002. Vancity was also a major sponsor of the Vancouver Pride Festival and the parade for many years and helped financially to make the event what it is today.

At the parade in 2019 Vancity had a water refilling station outside their branch at 1798 Robson Street at the corner of Denman and Robson. It was free to fill up your water bottles there. Hopefully 2023 will be the same.

Vancity staff also walked in the parade in 2019 along with Vancouver artist Joe Average who designed the Canadian Mint’s recently released pure silver Equality Coin to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the decriminalization of homosexuality in Canada.

For more details about Vancity and the credit union’s involvement with the LGBTQ community, see Vancity’s Blog.

Tips and Advice

Below are some suggestions to help you make the most out of your Vancouver Pride Parade experience.

TIP: 1 – Unless you hate crowds, don’t like parades or simply aren’t a fan of this sort of thing, go! It’s one of (if not the) most impressive parade in Vancouver all year! It’s highly recommended!

TIP: 2 – Go early, like really early, to find a spot on the sidewalk to see from.

TIP: 3 – Consider going on the Really Gay History Tour with Forbidden Vancouver Walking Tours. Forbidden Vancouver runs all sorts of walking tours in downtown Vancouver. They are exceptional, and their Really Gay History Tour has an LGBTQ theme. If you take the tour not only will you have a fun and entertaining experience, but you’ll also learn about the history of the LGBTQ movement which will provide background to the origins of the Pride Festival and the parade. The tour is educational and highly recommended.