The BCCLA Marching Troupe is once again taking to the streets in the Vancouver Pride Parade! This colourful ensemble will be celebrating 50 years of fighting for rights and freedoms in Canada.
Beginning as a protest march through Davie Village in 1978, the Vancouver Pride Parade and Festival has become a celebration of Pride in Vancouver, with over 150 float and parade entries, a party for 80,000 people at Sunset Beach, and over 500,000 attendees.
The Parade starts in downtown Vancouver, at Robson and Bute, and winds its way through the West End, culminating at Sunset Beach, where the party continues with a festival, live music and more.
You are invited to participate with the BCCLA this year! Email stefanie(at)bccla.org if you’d like to join in the fun. Costumes are definitely encouraged.
This years theme:
This years theme:A Masquerade
Wear your masks, headresses, and costumes to masquerade through the streets of Vancouver!
In addition to being a good time, this theme references an historical and ongoing practice of Pride parade participants wearing masks in regions where individuals risk persecution for their involvement and/or perceived queer sexuality. A masquerade is also a playful take on current policing trends seeking to criminalize mask wearing in public.
Read our Standing Committee Submission on Bill C-309 Banning Masks here.
Pictures of the BCCLA’s team in the 2012 Parade are available via this link.
