After months of preparations, Saint John Pride festivities officially begin on Friday.
A Pride flag raising will take place outside of Saint John City Hall at noon.
That will be followed by the Chromafest Pride kickoff at 200 Carmarthen Street at 1 p.m.
President Alex Saunders said they want it to become the Halifax Pride of New Brunswick.
“Saint John just brings a funkiness to things that a lot of places in our province don’t really have,” Saunders said in an interview earlier this year.
“I think that we, being at the exact right spot … we can meet up in Saint John and have a really, really good time.”
Several new and returning events, including many free ones, will take place throughout the 10-day festival.
Organizers are bringing back some of the most popular events, including Prismatique at the Waterfront Container Village.
It will feature drag headliners The Virgo Queen, the season five winner of Canada’s Drag Race, and legendary drag king Kreme Inakuchi from Toronto.
Saint John Pride will also introduce a “tea dance” at the Saint John Public Gardens, in collaboration with the Saint John Horticultural Association.
Originating from queer culture in the mid-20th century, tea dances provided a social and celebratory space for 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals when other venues were not available to them.
Organizers have also announced a new partnership with Bangor Pride and are extending an open invitation to all 2SLGBTQIA+ Americans.
Saunders said Saint John Pride’s board secretary Vivian Myers-Jones, a dual citizen and a veteran of American wars, forged a strong bond with Pride organizers in Bangor.
“Our people are friendly and there’s a lot less turmoil happening up here,” they said. “The thing about the 2SLGBTQIA+ community is that we’re like a culture of cultures.”
The 23rd annual Saint John Pride Parade will take place next Saturday, Aug. 16, at 1 p.m. It will start at Long Wharf and make its way to the Waterfront Container Village.
