Halifax Pride
Halifax Pride is an LGBT pride festival, held annually in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. It is the largest LGBT event in Atlantic Canada,[1] and one of the largest LGBT pride events in Canada.[2]
 The official logo of Halifax Pride | |
| Type | Pride festival |
|---|---|
| Legal status | active |
| Purpose | To provide a pride festival that reflect and celebrates the best of the 2SLGBTQ+ community and culture in Halifax and throughout Nova Scotia. |
| Headquarters | Halifax |
Region served | Halifax |
| Website | Halifax Pride |
First held in 1988,[1] the inaugural event featured just 75 marchers, some of whom wore paper bags over their heads due to the stigma against being openly identified as LGBT.[1] The 2014 event featured approximately 2,500 marchers, with 80,000 people in attendance as participants or spectators.[3]
The event's grand marshal in 2014 was Scott Jones, an LGBT activist from New Glasgow who launched the Don't Be Afraid campaign of LGBT awareness after being left paraplegic by an anti-gay attack in 2013.[4] The event also featured a commemoration of Raymond Taavel, a former chair of the event who was killed in a violent attack in 2012.[5]
The 2014 parade route started on Upper Water Street, and followed Barrington Street, Spring Garden Road and South Park Street to the Garrison Grounds at Citadel Hill.[3]
In 2011, co-chair Ed Savage created some controversy by describing the event as "less promiscuous" and more family-oriented than other Pride festivals across Canada.[6]
References
- "Halifax celebrates Pride Parade 2013". CBC News, July 27, 2013.
- "Halifax gearing up for annual Pride Festival". CTV News, July 15, 2014.
- "Music, colourful pageantry highlight Halifax pride parade". The Chronicle Herald, July 26, 2014.
- "Scott Jones filled with Pride". The Chronicle Herald, June 19, 2014.
- "Raymond Taavel remembered at Pride". The Coast, July 16, 2014.
- "A parade everybody loves". The Coast, July 21, 2011.
