Groups previously excluded from Chinatown parade will be allowed to march, organizers say

The organizers of this weekend's Lunar New Year parade in Vancouver's Chinatown have made a last-minute decision to allow two groups they had previously excluded to march.

On Friday afternoon, the Vancouver Chinatown Spring Festival Celebration Committee confirmed to CTV News that it had decided to allow Chinatown Together and Vancouver Lunar New Year For All to participate in this year's event.

On Thursday, CTV News reported that the two groups had been excluded from the parade over concerns about their "political activism."

In a letter to Vancouver Lunar New Year For All, which was shared with CTV News by a member of that group, the committee wrote that it had approved the group's application "after thorough reconsideration and review."

"The Vancouver Chinatown Spring Festival Celebration Committee warmly welcomes all members of our community to join the annual Spring Festival Parade, fostering a spirit of togetherness and promoting harmony," the letter reads.

"The parade is a festive event for the entire community to celebrate the Lunar New Year. Banners and signs that are unrelated to or may disrupt community harmony and unity will not be permitted in the parade. Please take note of this requirement."

Melody Ma, a co-founder of Chinatown Together, said Thursday that there was nothing political about the group wanting to be included in the event. She said members had spent hours sewing banners with the words, “Chinatown Together,” and “Embracing Rainbows.”

Pearl Wong, an organizer with Vancouver Lunar New Year For All, said that group was created due to a lack of 2SLGBTQ+ representation.

“We thought it would be nice to have that, as queer and trans people who are also of Asian heritage,” Wong said. “We wanted a group that was by us and for us.”

Before organizers reversed course, both groups said they planned on attending Sunday's parade, even as spectators.

The Vancouver Chinatown Spring Festival and parade has been drawing thousands to the neighbourhood since 1974. More than 100,000 spectators are expected to line the streets for this year's 50th anniversary event, which begins at 11 a.m. at the Millennium Gate on Pender Street.

With files from CTV News Vancouver's Isabella Zavarise