Anyone who can’t make it to downtown Victoria for the Pride Parade on Sunday will once again be able to catch the festivities on TV and livestream.
CHEK will be showing the parade live on Sunday, July 12, starting at 11:15 a.m. both on TV and online on CHEK+ and YouTube hosted by Scott Fee, Tess van Straaten and local drag king Eddi Licious.
If you miss the event live, it will be re-aired on TV and CHEK+ at 7 p.m. and the livestream can be rewatched on YouTube and CHEK+ after the initial livestream.
The Pride Parade will be making its way through Victoria’s streets starting at 11 a.m. with 125 parade entries.
It will start at Johnson and Government and end on Kingston Street. The festitivites don’t end there though, with the Victoria Pride Festival taking place in MacDonald Park starting at 11 a.m. until 6 p.m.
Victoria Pride Society says it expects over 80,000 spectators in person for the Pride Parade
Also at this year’s Pride Parade will be a seniors viewing area to make the event more accessible to seniors and older adults.
The seniors viewing area will be at Wharf Street near Government, in front of The Homecoming statue.
“Pride should be accessible across generations,” said Maxence Arignon, director at large with Victoria Pride Society. “Many 2SLGBTQIA+ seniors lived through decades of discrimination, the HIV/AIDS crisis, and more recently the isolation and vulnerability of the COVID-19 pandemic. They helped create the freedoms and visibility we celebrate today, and they deserve to experience Pride with dignity, joy, and community.”
The seniors viewing area was created in partnership with Island Health.
“Supporting dignity, connection, and inclusion for older adults is an important part of person- centred care,” said Jae Yon Jones, regional director of quality, education and research, LTC and AL with Island Health. “We are pleased to help share information about this opportunity so that 2SLGBTQIA+ seniors and allies receiving care or support in the community have a chance to participate in Pride.”
Since space is limited, anyone planning on using the seniors viewing area is asked to contact Maxence Arignon to complete a registration form to confirm their spot. Arignon can be reached at [email protected].
