Local artist organizes Port Moody’s first Pride festival

A sign advertising the first-ever Pride festival organized for the city of Port Moody. (Goldbard Creative).

Port Moody has joined the list of Metro Vancouver municipalities that are marking Pride Month firsts this June.

Local resident Joyelle Goldbard, who performs and organizes events under the name GOLDbard Creative, invited the city to a giant “Coming Out Party” planned for June 17 at the Inlet Theatre.

Goldbard, who uses both gendered and gender-neutral pronouns, says she was inspired to create the event after seeing a group of Charles Best Secondary students petition for a Coquitlam Pride event.

“I could see there was a real hunger for queer communities that are just outside of Vancouver. Most of us are used to driving into the city for queer events, but what if we could have that at home?” Goldbard said in a statement issued Monday.

Goldbard is the producer of Supergay Cabaret, a show that “centres the expression of queer joy though comedy, burlesque, live music and poetry,” according to the release.

Following the success of the first two shows in North Vancouver, Goldbard says they decided to produce a third in Port Moody, which will follow the free Pride festival.

The all-ages, daytime event will run from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and include an art market, “activity stations” and a dance party with DJ Bella Sie.

The cabaret portion of the festival will start at 7 p.m. and feature burlesque, comedy, musical performances and a dance party with LVL collective—which is described as a bass super group

Goldbard says the hope for these events is that they become launching pads for new connections.

“That’s really what this is all about for me, people finding their people,” said Goldbard, who came out as gay shortly before the pandemic hit and has faced logistical challenges when it comes to fostering queer community.

This month is also the first year that a Pride flag will be flown outside Surrey City Hall, thought the Surrey Pride Society has existed for 24 years.