THUNDER BAY – Organizers of the 2024 Pride Parade and Festival are calling on residents of Thunder Bay to rise up and show their support of the 2SLGBTIQ+ community.
During Pride Month in June, there will be plenty of opportunities to do so.
Jason Veltri, the outgoing president of the Rainbow Collective, and Scotia Kauppi, chair of Thunder Pride, say at least 27 events are planned over 32 days, starting on May 31 with the annual raising of the Pride flag at city hall.
The most notable event is the return of the parade, which has been absent since 2019, shut down initially because of restrictions related to COVID-19.
The parade is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. on June 16 from Hillcrest Park, the route winding down the hill where it will eventually conclude at Waverley Park, where the festival will be held.
It’s great news, said Kauppi.
“It’s so exciting. People have been asking and asking and asking for it,” she said. “Since COVID, it’s just not been in the works, whether it was because of COVID and large gathering groups or because of potential threats to the parade, this year, even though there are threats, the Thunder Bay Police have assured us all safety precautions are being taken so the whole community can have a really fun time.”
Veltri said it’s unfortunate that in this day and age Pride organizations need to come up with a theme like Rise Up, but added it’s also a chance to show the world that it’s just a small minority that likes to show their true colours and the hatred in their hearts.
“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.”
A record 80 booths are already spoken for at this year’s festival, with only 20 remaining.
There’s plenty of other opportunities to rise up too, Kauppi said.
“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.”
Pride Paint Night with two-spirit Ojibway artist Patrick Hunter will be held on June 18. Pride flags will fly at all Thunder Bay schools throughout June. The Glitter Ball, featuring Kaos and Pythia, will be staged at Magnus Theatre on June 8.
The Border Cats will host a Pride night on June 6, while the Thunder Bay Chill will follow suit on June 26. There will also be a Pride church service on June 9.
A full event calendar can be found on both the Rainbow Collective and Thunder Pride websites.
