Last year the Jasper Pride Festival saw more people attend more events than any other year in its history. It was the festival’s fifth anniversary, and a big year for the event.
But this year festival organizers predict an even bigger turn out. They have planned 16 events spread out over four days, from March 19-22, all following the theme: Wicked White Winter.
“This expansion comes from our experience last year that many of our events were really, really well attended, to the point that the venues were bursting,” explained Jörg Michel, the Jasper Pride Festival Society’s marketing director.
The expanded festival will include favourites—like the Saturday-night gala at the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge's Beauvert Room, the movie dinner theatre and a Friday night party at the Whistle Stop Pub—as well as a suite of brand new ones.
Michel said that organizers made an effort this year to create more of a connected, community atmosphere, planning a family event Saturday afternoon, and for the first time ever setting up a gathering place for festival goers.
The “Pride House” will stay open all weekend at the Crimson Hotel's Signal Suite, and Michel said the festival society is excited to use it as a home base where people can congregate and meet the organizers.
“This is where people can hang out, get some free coffee and free snacks, where they can meet their friends, where they can buy tickets, where they can talk to us as organizers, where they can make reservations, they can buy pride merchandise, or they can just hang out.”
But organizers have also ramped up the party Friday night, expanding choices and scheduling two coinciding events: a concert at the Whistle Stop, and a burlesque show at the Four Peaks Night Club.
“It will be a tough choice to make Friday night where to go,” Michel said.
Other new activities include a pride karaoke night hosted by Tony Lester Van Blam and Chantel Lee, dogsledding at Mildred Lake and the launch of the Wicked White Weissbier, the official Jasper Pride Beer, in cooperation with the Jasper Brewing Company.
The town itself will also be getting a pride makeover this year, as businesses decorate their windows for a contest in support of Pride, and 30 pride flags are raised on the light poles on Connaught Dr. and Patricia St.
The flags are an especially big deal to the society, as they were bought using “generous donations” from the community, and represent the support Jasper has always shown for the pride society.
“It’s one of those signs that shows how supportive all in all the community is, and how much we are looking forward to welcoming our friends, guests and obviously our locals to all our events,” Michel said.
“We are obviously a pride festival, and this is for the LGBT community, but this is not for the LGBT community only: it’s a festival for everyone.” Michel said.
“And that’s what makes this Jasper pride festival so different from so many other pride festivals. We have so many friends and allies attending our events, it is really like a community event for everyone, and we really encourage everyone to come out and join and celebrate with us and have a good time.”
Trevor Nichols
[email protected]
