June may be generally known as Pride month in the US and Canada, but a number of cities have their festivals/events/parades at other times and three events that take place around BC (in/near Vancouver) were in July – and I got to host them! First there was the 20th anniversary of Surrey Pride, which is in the second-largest city in British Columbia. You can see my experience there sharing the stage with two local drag queens (and of course a number of performers) on a beautiful summer day with a bunch of happy attendees in the video above!
Next I got to host the Fraser Valley Pride Celebration in Abbotsford. I was the emcee throughout the day, introducing the different acts that were entertaining the crowd with music and dancing and drag performances. You can see some of the highlights in this video:
Thank you to the Fraser Valley Youth Society for putting on this event for the community and trusting me to lead everyone through the day – it was a fun and inspiring event! And also a shout out to Katie at SweetLegs Abbotsford for sending me the rainbow leggings to wear at it so I could look extra festive!
The third Pride event that I hosted in BC was in the city where I actually live myself – Vancouver! This was Picnic in the Park, complete with drag queens, games, music, and a lot more. It’s a great event in Stanley Park that like the others is very family friendly and fun for all ages. Here are some highlights from that one:
Shout out to Ross Chocolates for providing me with a bunch of their sugar-free chocolate bars so I had something to snack on backstage during the day while I’m avoiding sugar in my diet! Here are some of the photos that I shared on my Instagram account from the Pride season:
Hopefully you can make it to Surrey Pride, Fraser Valley Pride, or Vancouver Pride’s Picnic in the Park in 2020 if you missed them this year! And feel free to subscribe to my YouTube channel if you’d like to see more videos from my year as Mr. Gay Canada 2019. Also, if you’re looking for a gay emcee / host for your event, or just someone an LGBTQ public speaker in general, feel free to contact me about your festival / celebration / occasion!