The Victoria Pride Society (VPS) is excited to announce the 2021 Victoria Pride Week Festival from June 28 to July 4, 2021. The festival will include online events to safely celebrate our local LGBTQ2S+ communities and achievements, connect people and advocate for change through an intersectional lens.
“While COVID-19 will prevent our usual in-person events this year, Pride cannot be cancelled,” said VPS President David Tillson. “These events will showcase and celebrate our community, while highlighting the work that still needs to be done to overcome racism, transphobia, homophobia and all other forms of discrimination.”
The Victoria Pride Week Festival will present six free events, including virtual adaptations of long-standing, in-person events like the Parade, Youth Pride Kick-Off Party, Pride in the Word and Big Gay Dog Walk, as well as new events like Queer Activism Night.
The Victoria Pride Week Festival will include a number of opportunities for the community to be visible, engage and celebrate.
About the Victoria Pride Week Festival
Presented by the Victoria Pride Society, the Victoria Pride Week Festival provides opportunities for local LGBTQIA2S+ communities to be visible, to celebrate, to advocate and to feel connected to community.
Pride has taken many forms in Victoria over the years, starting with the first “Pride Weeks” in the early 1980s and community picnics in Beacon Hill Park in the early 1990s. The first Pride Parade was in 1994 and the first festival finale in the park was in 1995. The local Pride movement continues to grow with no sign of slowing down.
A full list of festival events can be found on the Victoria Pride website at victoriapridesociety.org.
Youth Pride Kick-Off Party
June 28, 6 pm: online
Kick off the Victoria Pride Week Festival with a night of inspirational speakers and dazzling performances in an online event hosted by the Victoria Pride Society Youth Leadership Council. While geared for those 15 to 24 years old, the party is open to all ages and will include opportunities to play online interactive games like Jackbox, Werewolves and Among Us.
Queer Activism Night
June 30 at 6 pm: online
Hosted by the Victoria Pride Youth Leadership Council, Queer Activism Night will bring together local speakers, activists and artists to present on and discuss the history of queer activism and current community issues.
Big Gay Dog Walk
July 2 at 7pm: online
Our annual Big Gay Dog Walk is going virtual! This year, all furry, fluffy, feathered and other feisty friends are eligible for the traditional Pride costume and trick contests! We want to see your pets displaying their PRIDE by either showing off their coolest tricks or by dressing to impress! Prizes from Boom + Batten will be awarded to the top winners in each category.
To enter the BGDW contest, post an image or a video (up to 10 seconds) to Instagram or Facebook, tag Victoria Pride Society and use the hashtag #BGDW2021. Post and share your submissions before June 21, then tune into our virtual show on July 2 to help vote for the winners.
Pride in the Word
July 3 at 8 pm: online
Join some of the most talented local and national LGBTQIA2S+ writers for one of the country’s largest Pride literary events. This year’s spectacular line-up of featured writers will each read a selection of their published work. This event always leaves audiences feeling a full range of emotions.
#YYJ Pride Parade
July 4 at noon: online
This year, you won’t just watch a parade: you are the parade! Victoria Pride is calling on everyone under the rainbow to “Pride Up” their homes, offices, stores fronts, cars, bikes or anything else that shows their PRIDE during the month of June!
Show off your display of pride by using the hashtag #yyjpride on Instagram or Facebook, or send a photo to parade@victoriapridesociety.org. We’ll be capturing select displays on video between June 14 and 21 for our parade montage of rainbow delights premiering on Sunday, July 4.
This is a chance to come together as we celebrate apart. Let’s join together to brighten up our local communities!
Victoria Pride Festival Extravaganza Show
July 4 at 1pm: online
The pinnacle event of the Victoria Pride Week Festival! The Victoria Pride Festival Extravaganza Show features a variety of spectacular performances from local LGBTQIA2S+ artists from drag to dance to music and more! This is a show you do not want to miss!
Show Your Pride!
Every year, the community is at the heart of Pride, and VPS will continue this legacy this year. There will be a number of opportunities for community members to show their pride and be a part of the events.
“Pride belongs to the community,” said Tillson. “This year, we want to give our community a chance to not just watch our events but to also be a part of them.”
Victoria Pride invites community members to share in a single phrase: what does Pride mean to you? It can be expressed in writing (up to 25 words), a photo or a video of up to 10 seconds. Selections will be included in our online events and communications. Submissions can be made on the VPS website at victoriapridesociety.org or emailed to parade@victoriapridesociety.org. .
Pride in Victoria Goes Well Beyond the Festival
Pride happens year round in Victoria. VPS is excited to present two upcoming opportunities outside of the Victoria Pride Week Festival that will showcase local LGBTQ2S+ artists:
The Vicarious Show Series
June 5, 12, 19, 26: online
Back by popular demand! Every Saturday night in June leading up to the Victoria Pride Week Festival, the Vicarious Show will feature original and truly memorable performances from the very best local drag artists. Hosted by the legendary Henrietta Dubet, the Vicarious Show series will be available online in the comfort of your own home.
VPS/ECAH Queer Art Show
July 14 to 30: in person
Jointly presented by the Victoria Pride Society and the Esquimalt Community Arts Hub, “For the Love of Us ALL” is a queer art exhibit exploring community, love, Pride and diversity.
A central theme of the exhibit is exploring intersectionality within the queer community. Intersectionality is a concept that recognizes that social factors such as race, class, gender, age and ability overlap and create amplified experiences of marginalization.
About The Victoria Pride Society
Victoria Pride creates opportunities for visibility, collaboration, ongoing conversations and celebration as we work towards equity for all people of diverse gender and sexual identities.
The Victoria Pride Society acknowledges that it organizes and works on the traditional territories of the Lekwungen peoples, and that the land’s historical relationships with the Songhees, Esquimalt and W̱ SÁNEĆ peoples have existed since time immemorial. Further to this acknowledgement, the Victoria Pride Society affirms that colonialism, and the attitudes and practices that have accompanied it, contributes to systemic discrimination and violence against Indigenous Peoples.
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