Pridefest volunteers ‘full of excitement’ for upcoming events

Volunteers with Sault Pride are one week away from kicking off this year’s Pridefest — an eight-day celebration of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community in Sault Ste. Marie.

Now in its 11th year, Pridefest will return with many of its familiar events like Loud and Proud Family Fun Day, Amore Fashion Show, and Pride Stride and Ride.

New to the itinerary this year, committee members have incorporated an educational piece as Sault Pride, in partnership with Sault College and Egale Canada, will oversee a free training session on 2SLGBTQIA+ Inclusion in the Workplace on July 25.

Sault Pride chair Amanda Zuke told SooToday she could hardly wait to get things going.

“I couldn’t be more excited,” she said. “Everything is really coming together beautifully. It’s going to be eight days of rainbow joy.”

That joy was tarnished for a short time earlier this month when the brand-new Pride crosswalk on Spring Street at Bay Street was vandalized with red spray paint following a pair of duelling protests that took place on either side of the street.

“It’s really serious,” mayor Matthew Shoemaker said at the time. “We will get it repaired, and it will continue to symbolize the openness and welcoming nature of our community going forward.”

Two days later, the crosswalk received a fresh coat of paint and the spray paint markings disappeared.

Sensing a height in divisiveness, Zuke expects more pushback at this year's events.

“I think they’re probably going to protest us at Loud and Proud,” she said. “We’re expecting that and planning for that. But there’s no sense of worrying about someone coming to protest, because what are they going to do?”

“We’ve had such a joyful experience over the last decade and growing this initiative through the city,” she added. “I’m just full of excitement about it.”

Pridefest 2024 will kick off at city hall with a ceremonial flag raising on July 21 at 12 p.m. The annual festivities will conclude at Sandro’s with the Rainbow Brunch on July 28 at 11 a.m.

Readers can register or purchase tickets for certain events by clicking here.

The full schedule is below: