Get ready to pull out your best rainbow attire. The Jasper Pride Festival recently announced its schedule of events for the eighth annual affair, which will be held March 9-12.
In conjunction with celebrating 150 years since Confederation, the upcoming festival will follow a “proud and free” theme.
“We really wanted to follow that Canada 150 theme so the overall celebration that’s happening during the year will be reflected in a lot of the events happening throughout the festival’s weekend,” said Sara Hamil, co-chair of the Jasper Pride Festival Society.
This year’s events will kick-off with the raising of the pride flag, March 9, outside of the Jasper Emergency Services building. Other anticipated events include the Jasper Pride beer party, a string of skiing events at Marmot Basin, and an evening filled with beats by DJ Riki Rocket. Back by popular demand will also be the Pride Gala at the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge, a burlesque show and the Lum-Bear Jack Party.
“We’re really proud to be hosting over 20 events during the weekend. Man Up (one of the burlesque groups) was a big favourite last year and they’ll be here again and they’ve been working on some custom shows to tie in with our theme,” Hamil said. “And people always get very excited about the gala. It’s an amazing night with entertainment, dancing and custom drinks.”
The 2016 four-day festival saw more than 1,000 people attend 24 events—many of which were sold out. The gala alone attracted 750 people.
During the society’s AGM, which was hosted in August, it was announced that the 2016 event brought in more than $152,000. The total expense of the festival was about $83,000. During the same meeting it was projected that this year’s festival will cost $144,000, but is expected to bring in about $167,000 worth of income.
As the festival gears up for its eighth year, Hamil said the festival’s message remains strong.
“The festival was born out of a grassroots movement that was meant to recognize just how inclusive and welcoming Jasper is and we continue to see people stand up and contribute and take part in this year after year,” she said. “However, I would say that the community has always been there and has always been a warm and welcoming space and that’s part of the message we’re trying to get across.”
In addition to the annual festival, in May 2016, the society and Tourism Jasper joined Travel Gay Canada, an organization promoting LGBT travel across the country.
Daily Xtra, a Canadian LGBT magazine, also rated Jasper as one of the country’s top-five gay-friendly travel destinations in 2015.
“The festival only happens over the course of a weekend, but what we’re really trying to tell our visitors is that Jasper is like this year-round,” Hamil said. “No matter what time of year you visit us, Jasper is always welcoming and inclusive.”
A full schedule of events can be found at www.jasperpride.ca.
Kayla Byrne
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