The details of Moose Jaw’s Pride Week are finally here, and the organizers are promising that it will be an incredible celebration of the community and how far it’s come.
May 14 marks the 50th anniversary of the day homosexuality was decriminalized in Canada, an important moment in LGBTQ+ history that this year’s Pride Week wants to focus on. Moose Jaw Pride will be honoring the date with a flag-raising at Tourism Moose Jaw on that day, at noon.
Joe Wickenhauser, executive director at Moose Jaw Pride, wants this year’s Pride to echo the feeling that comes with that recognition of freedom.
“We've got a really full lineup for Moose Jaw Pride Week this year. This is our biggest festival ever, and some of the biggest names we've ever had,” said Wickenhauser. “So it's going to be the most fun, the wildest and I think one of the most meaningful celebrations, of 50 years since the decriminalization of homosexuality in Canada.”
A number of events will be happening from May 26 to June 1, beginning with a Spirit of Diversity service at St. Andrews at 10:30 a.m., and then in the evening, a smudging ceremony with Elder Dickie Yuzicapi paired with the Pride Flag raising in Crescent Park, beginning at 6 p.m.
The Coming Out Campfire welcomes everyone to drop down to Wakamow Park starting at 7 p.m. The following days will be packed with a paint night, workshops with literary star Kai Chen Thom, trivia night, and a Pride-focused art exhibition.
The annual Pride Parade will be taking over Main Street once again, beginning at 2 p.m. on June 1; everyone is welcome to march with the crowd as they make their way down Main Street and over to Crescent Park where the Pride Market and beer gardens will be waiting.
Rosie & the Riveters will be performing in the Crescent Park Amphitheater, bringing their iconic gritty femme folk-pop hits to the park.
Coco Montrese, of RuPaul’s Drag Race fame, will be performing at the Afterparty later that night, alongside Rosie & the Riveters and the Imperial House of LOL — a group of drag performers from Regina.
The majority of events are going to be free and everyone is encouraged to come out and enjoy the celebration. Vendors for the market and volunteers to help with the festival are still needed.
Wickenhauser is pleased with the ongoing support for Pride in the community and hopes to see it grow throughout the province, and there are things to improve on.
“We're really lucky to have this festival and to have a space [here in Moose Jaw], but a lot of other communities in Saskatchewan aren't that lucky, and people have to go to large urban centers to access support,” said Wickenhauser.
“People are coming to our festival to come and support and to celebrate, and people are coming back to their hometowns and saying, 'it's really important for me that this happens here and that other people know that there are LGBTQ+ people in this community,” he added. “So it's really incredible, I think, to see that and we want to open that invitation.”
More information about Pride Week’s full lineup and where to get tickets can be found on their website, and more information about the organization and how to get involved can also be found on their Facebook, or by dropping in at Rainbow Retro during their hours.
