Thousands expected to attend Capital Pride on Sunday: Here’s what you need to know

August 25, 2024 Canuck

While the festivities will look a little different this year, thousands are expected to show off their bright rainbow colours in downtown Ottawa on Sunday to celebrate the Capital’s LGBTQ+ community.

Over 100 groups, more than 5,000 marchers plus this year’s Grand Marshal and honoured group are expected to participate, according to organizers.

The annual Capital Pride parade is expected to begin at 1 p.m. on Elgin Street.

The parade route will be shorted this year to about half the length of previous years.

Capital Pride organizers say they had to change the parade route less than one week before the event because the Ottawa Police Service did not provide enough officers to support the safe closure of roads.

“The Ottawa Police Service and City of Ottawa informed Capital Pride of this decision on August 20 and it comes after more than 6 months of planning between Capital Pride, the City and the Ottawa Police Service,” organizers say on Capital Pride’s website.

Starting at Elgin Street and Laurier Avenue, the parade will make its way south and move west at Gladstone Avenue. The new end of the parade will be at Bank Street and Gladstone Avenue.

Post-parade events

A post-parade party is being organized starting at 2 p.m. until 10 p.m. at the TD Main Stage set up at Bank Street and Slater Street.

Schedule:

2 p.m. – DJ Roxy Sunset

3:30 p.m. – OK Naledi

4:30 p.m. – Jessy Lindsay

5:30 p.m. – Makhena

5:45 p.m. – Capital Pride 2024 Royal Court

6:15 p.m. – DJ Sophie Jones

7:15 p.m.- Drag Superstars

8:00 p.m.- Charlie Houston

9:00 p.m.- Sarahmée

DJ’s will also be performing free shows at the Rogers Somerset Stage located at Bank Street and Somerset Street from 2 p.m. until 11 p.m. tonight.

Schedule:

2 p.m. – 4 p.m. – DJ Sam

4 p.m. – 6 p.m. – JC Simon

The Final Dance:

6 p.m. – 8 p.m. – Diskommander

8 p.m. – 11 p.m. – BLK PRL

A “community stage” has also been set up from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Bank Street and Florence Street, featuring live music, DJ’s and drag performers.

An alcohol-free bar is available.

Schedule:

2 p.m. – Open Community Stage w/ Shea D. Ladie

3:30 p.m. – Karaoke w/ China Doll & Ruby Foxglove

5 p.m. – Velvet Duke

6 p.m. – Pass the Vibes

7 p.m. – Pass the Vibes

A person wears the colours of the rainbow as they march in the Capital Pride Parade in Ottawa, on Sunday, Aug. 27, 2023. (Justin Tang/THE CANADIAN PRESS)

Traffic closures

Expect significant traffic delays downtown before and after the parade.

Bank Street is fully closed between Slater Street and Gladstone Avenue all day
Slater Street is reduced to two lanes between Kent and Bank streets all day

The following streets will be closed on Sunday for the staging of the parade:

From 6 am to 5 pm:

Laurier Avenue West, between Nicholas and Elgin streets

From noon to 4 pm:

Elgin Street, between Slater and McLeod streets
Gladstone Avenue, between Cartier and Kent streets

OC Transpo will maintain regular bus service with detours in place.

O-Train service is not running between St. Laurent and Blair stations on Sunday due to Stage 2 construction.

Celebrations will look different this year

A large number of organizations and leaders in Ottawa have pulled out of Capital Pride events after a statement the group made expressing solidarity with Palestinians last week.

The wave of backlash began after Capital Pride issued a statement accusing the Israeli government for “pinkwashing” the ongoing Israel-Hamas war by citing its LGBTQ2S+ inclusivity in an effort to “draw attention away” from its actions in Gaza. It also pledged to “recognize the ongoing genocide against Palestinians” in opening remarks at 2024 Capital Pride Festival signature events, among other commitments.

The City of Ottawa, the mayor, local hospitals, Ottawa’s largest school board and dozens of private and public organizations are among the groups no longer marching in the parade.

Some have stood by the organizers, including the Green Party, the New Democratic Party and over 50 businesses, unions and queer organizations.

Some of the groups who pulled out of Capital Pride-run events, including the University of Ottawa (uOttawa) and the Jewish Federation of Ottawa, will be holding their own celebrations on Sunday.

View original article here Source