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Vancouver Pride Parade
Category: Arts & Entertainment Festivals Festivals [Edit]
Denman StVancouver, BC V6G
Neighbourhood: West End
(604) 687-0955
- Hours:
Mon-Fri 9 am - 3:30 pm
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
8 reviews for Vancouver Pride Parade
8 reviews in English
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Review from Jenni B.
4/14/2009
I think the Pride Parade is the funnest Vancouver event.
Held annually, this parade has so many floats which are all fun and colorful. And I love the hosts, last year a couple of trannies it was an absolute blast! For families bringing young ones you may have some cover the little one's eyes as the nudist parade down the street if you don't want them looking at other's privates. There are lots of promo materials given out by companies, and my favorite souvenir "Fans of Pride" - its August long weekend you have to cool yourself!
This parade is a great celebration enjoyed by gay, straight, bisexual, transgendered... everyone who supports our varied preferences! I love that it gets a gammet of people out, from people asserting their pride to families enjoying the parade.
Also loads of fun afterwards is the beer gardens :) -
Review from Tai V.
10/31/2011
Come one, Come all! Facepainting, beergardens, vendors galore plus: THE BEACH!!
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Review from Marc D.
Vancouver, BC
8/2/2010
* Fun but starting to slip *
The pride parade was fun yet again, as it is every year.
I particularly enjoy how the people of Vancouver interact during the event. At many other public events people are a bit more reserved. Not at the pride parade!
Some highlights:
- Truly a family event. Lots of families came to enjoy the festivities, and a good time was had by everyone!
- A lot of fun spirited marchers and crowd.
- The Vancouver police had a nice representation, and one of the officers came over to a person standing next to me to compliment them on their balloon hat and take a picture with it. Nice to see that type of interaction with the police!
- Bonus points for the ambulance drivers who redid the shoulder wrappings on their shirts into rainbow colours. Nice touch!
- The grilled corn was tender, juicy, and delicious.
So why only 4 stars?
- Some lame floats. The city of Vancouver float was pretty pathetic. The mayor was dressed in muscle shirt dancing awkwardly with a fake smile on the same float they had last year. Come on.
- Food options at Sunset Beach. I was amazed how many hot dog and mini donut vendors there were. Why not some more good real food? Tried the tamales from one of the vendors - dried out with scraps of meat. Boo.
- Corporate. There were so many corporate stands doing things like credit card signups and the like. I know it is a great marketing opportunity to a good demographic, but please......
In any case, overall it still was a fun event! I hope it continues to be!Listed in: Vancouver Local Flavour
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Review from Evilyn T.
8/3/2010 1 Check-in Here
Hello ripped sailors in little white booty shorts! I know you're all gay, but I am allowed to look at the menu since I'm not ordering anything right? The parade is full of beautiful people in all shapes and sizes, showing their unconditional love for people of all race, sex and gender. What's not to love? Well, the only thing I don't love is getting up early since the parade starts at noon. Srsly. Everyone is going to be out celebrating till the wee hours of the night on a Saturday long weekend, why not start the parade at 3 or 4pm? Then we would have more time to make ourselves look fabulous right? We could all put on a little more glitter, another pink boa, and sing one more showtune before we strut our gorgeous heels down the street in a rainbow of fruity flavours.
This year, my favourite part of the parade was the Ferris Bueller float, if you saw it, you know what I'm talking about, and if you missed it, it's definitely your loss. I also always get a little tear in my eye when I see the PFLAG parents coming to show support for their kids, and this year there was one little tiny granny holding a sign bigger than she was and it was so adorable! Oh little old lady I want to take you home in my pocket and take care of you forever! If you attend the parade you would have to have a heart of stone not to be inspired by the amount of love and beauty surrounding you.
Be gay for a day, or be a fag for a hag. Do not miss this parade!Listed in: Beers, Steers and Queers
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Review from Allen W.
8/2/2010
I'm torn on this event but decided to give it three stars. It's a huge celebration but sometimes I feel it stresses quantity over quality.
This year we sat along Denman and watched the parade go by, all 2.5 hours of it. At first, it was fun and charming in its own little way ... then it seemed to drag on. Each parade entry became repetitive and some of them from the most obscure organizations and/or political agendas ... some entries were just a couple people walking holding a sign (*yawn), some were pure corporate marketing (*snooze*).
Waterguns. Ok, we all know what I'm talking about. This year the morning started cold and cloudy, so I wasn't too amused when one float hosed down the audience so that we had to sit through the next 2 hours in wet clothes. Many floats this year sported waterguns and took aim on the crowds. I find it annoying.
After the parade, you'll find Sunset Beach setup with some booths and food stands. The food stand selection is pretty bad with hot dogs and mini donuts being the prime eateries.
Overall, it's a colourful event but for all it's acclaim, it could do much better. -
Review from Cameron M.
Toronto, ON
11/27/2008
The Vancouver Pride Parade both as a city event and as a pride parade is a bit of an anomaly. Vancouver doesn't really have parades so this is really the only standout one all year and draws huge crowd. In fact, if anything it's mostly a family event with lots of little kids and many of the kind of floats you expect at thanksgiving/canada day/other holiday parades in other cities.
That's kind of where the weirdness comes in. Most other Pride parades I've been to are a bit more adult and a bit more sexualized than Vancouver's. Which isn't to say there aren't totally nude people and sweaty grinding. But just for every shirtless man or woman there's a corporate float or weird family friendly one. Not that there's anything wrong with that. It's nice that all of Vancouver shows its community support but...I feel like the parade tries a bit too hard to reach its diverse audiences and thus falls a little short of cohesion.
Many parents find it too sexualized, many queer advocates find it too corporate and plenty of adults I know find it too tame. I'm sauced for 90% of pride week and while I always attend the parade there's a good chance I'll be somewhere having a drink before the things is over.
That said , it's an integral part of the week and one of the bigger daytime spectacles in the city so it's definitely worth checking out for locals and tourists alike. Just be prepared for a sea of people and to have some trouble seeing depending on where you want to sit. -
Review from Sheila W.
BC
11/26/2008 4 photos
Vancouverites of all ages and preferences gather in the West End on the BC Day long weekend (around August first) for the pride parade. It's a guaranteed good time and you'll probably see a few things that will surprise you. The naked yoga men (well over 40-years-old) marching in (only) feather boas introduced me to a few things I might never forget...
I watched the parade from Denman street near Davie and it was totally packed with people on the sidewalks. There were single-digit kids and grandmas watching as scantily clad men and women shook it from floats blasting dance music. It was very cool fun for the whole family.
If you're planning on dressing up for the occasion, there's only one rule: go big. The costumes here are so over-the-top that a feather boa and some fake eyelashes are easily overlooked!
Mark your calendars for Aug. 2, 2009! -
Review from Wendy C.
West Vancouver, BC
4/14/2011
Best memory of the parade was taking my little sisters to see it after I came out. Gave them an inside look if how the homosexuals party :D
