Local artist organizes Port Moody’s first Pride festival
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.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Ottawa public school board, 3 Toronto-area school boards launch lawsuit against social media giants
The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board and three school boards in the Toronto-area have launched legal action against social media giants, accusing them of "disrupting students' fundamental right to education."
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
Tipping is off the table at this Toronto restaurant
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff.
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 mm among weather alerts in effect for 7 provinces
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 millimetres, air quality advisories and other alerts have been issued for seven Canadian provinces, according to the latest forecasts.
King Charles calls for acts of friendship in first public remarks since Kate's cancer diagnosis
King Charles III gave public remarks for Maundy Thursday, addressing the importance of acts of friendship, following his and Catherine, Princess of Wales’ cancer diagnoses.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Donald Trump assails judge and his daughter after gag order in N.Y. hush-money criminal case
Donald Trump lashed out Wednesday at the New York judge who put him under a gag order that bars him from commenting publicly about witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and jurors in his upcoming hush-money criminal trial.
A fight to protect the dignity of Michelangelo's David raises questions about freedom of expression
Michelangelo's David has been a towering figure in Italian culture since its completion in 1504. But in the current era of the quick buck, curators worry the marble statue's religious and political significance is being diminished.
Doctors visiting a Gaza hospital are stunned by the war's toll on Palestinian children
An international team of doctors visiting a hospital in central Gaza was prepared for the worst. But the gruesome impact Israel’s war against Hamas is having on Palestinian children still left them stunned.