With resilience, the 2021 Pride Festival returns to Halifax

Delayed by a month, the annual eleven-day festival that celebrates the local 2SLGBTQ+ community will commence on August 12 at the Garrison Grounds

HALIFAXtoday \  Sad Clown

After a slight delay to the original start date, the Halifax Pride Festival is finally ready to return with a wide variety of events and activities in the city.

Normally scheduled in July, the annual eleven day festivities were pushed a month and will now commence August 12 with a flag-raising ceremony at Government House before launching into a diverse offering of programs.

“A month, two months feels like an eternity already,” says Pride Halifax executive director Adam Reid. “(But) we had a sense that the summer was going to be a priority for the government to have really clear expectations in place for tourism operators and whatnot so by delaying just those few weeks, we thought that we would have a better sense of what we could do.”

With over 100 COVID-19 friendly in-person events that aim to celebrate the 2SLGBTQ+ community, this year’s Pride festival has adopted the theme of radiateRESILIENCE which, according to the group’s press release, is “a message that is shared in the festival’s event, artist and creative choices.”

“I actually do think we’re programming and hosting more events than we ever have,” adds Reid about this year’s line-up which boasts everything from drag queen karaoke to a variety of online panel series and even a charity softball tournament.

“We host about 50 events and then another 50 or more come from the community itself so that’s what makes our local Pride really special (and) what we want to make sure is that all those people who are coming to the festival have opportunities to mark Pride in ways that are meaningful to them — whether that’s celebration, reflection, education, social gatherings — and I think that’s what we’ve achieved.”

Running from August 12 to August 22, this year’s Pride festival will feature small-scale in-person events as well as a beverage garden, a community market, a Two-Spirit space and a area for participants to seek out health and wellness. Events will mostly take place at the group’s festival site at the Garrison Grounds and most programs are inclusive to all ages.

As well, Pride Halifax’s online program will showcase several educational and entertainment options including live-streamed performances from the Garrison Grounds for those unable to attend.

After a much scaled-down festival last year due to COVID-19, Reid is excited to welcome guests back to the grounds and insists that the delay has also enabled organizers to develop a robust plan in line with the province’s public health guidelines.

“We are confident in all the protocols and measures we have put in place,” says Reid, adding that while the Garrison Grounds can normally accommodate up to 5000 people, they are restricting numbers to 500 as well as encouraging social-distancing and mask-wearing. “We’ve taken it very seriously and we obviously want people to follow their own hearts and do what they feel is safe for them but I think we’re providing a variety of events that allow folks to come and do things safely.”

Among the keystone events that will not be taking place is the Pride Parade due to the large audience the annual celebration typically attracts. However, on August 16, organizers are still planning a smaller-scale Pride March from Province House to Peace & Friendship Park where people will be encouraged to observe and participate in a candlelight vigil.

“One of our goals and themes is to make sure that our government leaders, our political leaders are mindful of the needs of the queer community,” says Reid, noting that the COVID-19 pandemic had compounded many social issues for those in the 2SLGBTQ+ community, particularly in housing and mental health. “We need our political leaders to bear that in mind and one way of doing that is through this march.”

For more information and tickets to the 2021 Halifax Pride Festival, visit the website.