Tri-Pride

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Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Not to be confused with TriPride.
Tri-Pride
Location
Waterloo Region, Ontario
TypePride festival
Organised byTri-Pride Community Association
Websitetri-pride.ca

Tri-Pride, stylized tri-Pride, is an annual non-profit

Waterloo Region of Ontario, encompassing the cities of Cambridge, Kitchener and Waterloo. Prior to the launch of Guelph Pride in 2003, the event also included the city of Guelph.[1]

tri-Pride is considered Canada's largest regional pride festival.[2][3] The official name of the organization is tri-Pride Community Association Inc.

History

This event was formed in 1995 and has grown ever since its inception.

The event was extended to a week in 2003, and its 3,000 visitors made it one of the largest pride events in southern Ontario after

Toronto Pride.[4]

The Waterloo Region Record, Labatt Brewing Company, and the local CTV affiliate CKCO-DT have been sponsors of the event.[5]

The 2011 edition included a horse race at Grand River Raceway in Elora, Ontario which was claimed to be "harness racing’s first-ever Drag (Queen) Race".[6][7]

In 2012 6,000 people attended the event.[3]

Performers at the 2013 festival included Gabe Lopez, God Made Me Funky, Drake Jensen, Sarah Smith and The Ecstatic.[8] The tri-Pride Live Music Festival headliners for 2014 were Thelma Houston[9] and Canadian Idol winner Theo Tams.[10]

The organization almost disbanded in 2016 due to a lack of volunteers.[11][12]

In 2017 and 2019 the tri-Pride organization helped organize a Pride march in Kitchener.[11][13]

During tri-Pride in 2018, rainbow crosswalks were unveiled in Kitchener and Waterloo.[14][15] Kitchener's crosswalk was paid for by the city.[15]

tri-Pride did not occur in 2020 or 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[16] The event returned in June 2022.[16][17]

Events

The event has often run from late May to early June.[18]

The festival's programming has at times started with raising the Pride flag at one of the city halls.[3][18]

A diverse range of events are held in all three cities, including musical, comedy, and drag performances.[16][19] 2017's tri-Pride also saw crafting nights, pageants, support groups, and yoga.[11][12] tri-Pride's two-week-long program of events usually culminates in a weekend concert in Kitchener's Civic Square or Kitchener's Victoria Park.[3][19]

References

  1. Xtra!
    , May 29, 2003.
  2. ^ "tri-Pride – Waterloo Region's LGBTQ2+ Community Festival".
  3. ^ a b c d "Region celebrates LGBTQ pride". The Cord. 2012-06-06. Retrieved 2023-01-02.
  4. ^ Saibil, Maya (May 29, 2003). "It takes a village to raise a Pride - Events Calendar / Southern Ontario communities put out more flags". Xtra - Archives. Pink Triangle Press. Retrieved September 6, 2011.
  5. ^ Gosgnach, Tony (August 2005). "Financially propping up 'gay pride'". The Interim - Corporate Watch Update. Interim Publishing. Retrieved September 6, 2011.
  6. ^ "Drag Race & Tri-Pride Night At GRR". Standardbred Canada. May 14, 2011. Retrieved September 6, 2011.
  7. ^ "Grand River Goes Glam For Industry First". Standardbred Canada. June 4, 2011. Retrieved September 6, 2011.
  8. ^ "tri-Pride Live Music Festival on Saturday June 1". tri-Pride, May 2, 2013.
  9. ^ Rubinoff, Joel (June 7, 2014). "Opinion | Popsmacked: 'Disco sucks!' no more". TheRecord.com.
  10. ^ "tri-Pride Celebrates Community – The Community Edition". Communityedition.ca. 2017-03-08. Retrieved 2019-10-01.
  11. ^ a b c "Pride march celebrates LGBT community in Waterloo region". CBC News. 2 June 2019. Retrieved 1 January 2023.
  12. ^ a b "Tri-Pride back with two weeks of events". CBC News. 23 May 2017. Retrieved 1 January 2023.
  13. ^ Davis, Brent (2017-06-04). "Kitchener march fills hearts with Pride". The Record. Retrieved 2023-01-02.
  14. ^ "Rainbow crosswalk vandalism 'a symbol'". CTV News Kitchener. 2018-06-02. Retrieved 2023-01-02.
  15. ^ a b "Rainbow crosswalk installed in downtown Kitchener". Kitchener. 2018-05-29. Retrieved 2023-01-02.
  16. ^ a b c Kelaher, Tyler (2022-06-04). "Tri-Pride Summer Festival returns to Kitchener's Victoria Park". CTV News Kitchener. Retrieved 2023-01-02.
  17. ^ Sandstrom, Alison (2022-06-01). "What's happening in Waterloo region and Guelph for Pride?". CTV NewsKitchener. Retrieved 2023-01-02.
  18. ^ a b Bhullar, Manjot (2016-05-18). "Tri-Pride festival coming to Kitchener-Waterloo". The Cord. Retrieved 2023-01-02.
  19. ^ a b "tri-Pride Summer Festival". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2023-01-02.

External links

External links

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