Calgary Pride designates 2SLGBTQ+ refugees as parade grand marshals

Calgary Pride has announced the grand marshalls for this year’s parade event, and refugees are at the helm.

The yearly festival celebrates 2SLGBTQ+ communities and this year they have chosen to spotlight refugees who now call Calgary home, and they will now be leading the procession.

“We are working with the Centre for Newcomers and the End of the Rainbow Foundation which are two absolutely wonderful community organizations based here in Mohkinstsis Calgary that help newcomers and refugees settle,” said Brittany (Brit) Nickerson, Manager of Communications at Calgary Pride.

“And they approached us earlier this summer about possibly having 2SLGBTQ+ refugees lead the Calgary Pride parade as our marshals,” said Nickerson.

“And we thought that it was a wonderful way to bridge the rainbow between the rest of the world and Mohkinstsis recognizing and acknowledging how difficult it is to leave your home and to leave everything behind to make a new home for yourself,” said Nickerson.

Calgary Pride says this will help draw attention to the fight for human rights all over the world.

“And we really thought that 2SLGBTQ+ is such a wonderful symbol of the courage, resilience, and strength of the pride movement and what it stands for.”

Calgary Pride week starts August 26 and will continue until Sept. 4, including the annual pride kickoff at Central Memorial Park on Saturday, August, 27. The main event including the parade will involve at least 140 participants and will take place on Sept. 4 showcasing the Calgary Pride Festival as well. The parade will be held on 9 Avenue this year between 5 Street SW and 6 Street SE and begins at 11 a.m.

Nickerson says the new location for the festivities this year will take place at Fort Calgary and will feature tons of performances, food trucks, vendors, a beer garden, and kid-friendly spaces.

Some local community leaders may also make an appearance.

“The NDP has announced they will be participating in the parade this year, so you can expect some of their MLAs and representatives there will be other political parties present this year as well which is a first for us since I believe since 2018,” said Nickerson.

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“You’ll also see some larger organizations and of course some really important community groups which are really critical to the 2SLGBTQ+ community,” said Nickerson.

For example, some other community organizations participating include the Centre for Sexuality and Skipping Stone.

“I think there’s so much excitement around coming back together again since 2019 of course you know we had a very scaled-back festival last year. And this is the first time in two, three years that we had a fully in-person event,” said Nickerson.

–With files from Lisa Grant