Pride Month Celebrations Shine with Parade’s Return
The 2024 Pride Parade and Festival organizers are urging Thunder Bay residents to stand in solidarity with the 2SLGBTIQ+ community. Throughout Pride Month in June, numerous occasions will present themselves to demonstrate support. Jason Veltri, departing president of the Rainbow Collective, and Scotia Kauppi, chair of Thunder Pride, reveal a lineup of at least 27 events spanning 32 days, kicking off on May 31 with the traditional raising of the Pride flag at city hall.
The highlight of the festivities is the return of the parade, which has been absent since 2019 due to initial COVID-19 restrictions. Scheduled to kick off at 11 a.m. on June 16 from Hillcrest Park, the parade’s route will wind down the hill, concluding at Waverley Park, the site of the festival. “It’s fantastic news,” remarked Kauppi. Veltri lamented the necessity for Pride organizations to adopt themes like “Rise Up” in today’s world but also highlighted the opportunity to showcase that those harboring hate are a small minority, while the majority embrace authenticity and acceptance.
“We know there are forces against us, trying to take us back to the Stone Age, but we’re not going to allow it to happen,” Veltri said.
“We see already the amount of people showing up for the Community Calendar, showing up to register for a booth means that we’re doing something right. But we need Thunder Bay to be with us. We need Thunder Bay to show up in record numbers, because when you show up, you shut up the other dark forces that are trying to shut us up.”
This year’s festival has already filled a record-breaking 80 booths, leaving just 20 available spots remaining.
“It’s so incredible to see the turnout of events that are being hosted by so many different community organizations. We can’t do it all and we want to be able to highlight that there’s Pride for everybody,” Kauppi said.
“There are coffee talks for people who have come out later in life and it’s nice and quiet and free. There are kids’ activities at the Complex. There are big-ticket drag shows. There’s the free parade and festival and just so many other fundraisers and events throughout the year.”
On June 18, Pride Paint Night will feature two-spirit Ojibway artist Patrick Hunter. Throughout June, Pride flags will adorn all Thunder Bay schools. The Glitter Ball, headlined by Kaos and Pythia, will dazzle audiences at Magnus Theatre on June 8.
Pride night will be celebrated by the Border Cats on June 6, with the Thunder Bay Chill joining in on June 26. Additionally, a Pride church service is scheduled for June 9.
For a comprehensive list of events, visit the Rainbow Collective and Thunder Pride websites.
