Pride in Prince George was out in full force this morning after being held off the street by the pandemic for the last three years.
Thousands paraded through the east side of downtown, ending at the Civic Centre for the rest of the celebration and an array of vendors.
📸 Prince George #Pride 2023 pic.twitter.com/gbsUYlJh2i
— Will Peters (@WillPeters_1) June 3, 2023
The parade had around 50 local businesses and groups represented, as well as City Councilors Ron Polillo, Tim Bennett, and mayor Simon Yu.
“I think it went really, really well,” William Gottschall, the President of Prince George Pride, told My PG Now after the parade. “We had lots of comments from people about how the turnout was, how fun it was, and how happy they were it was back.”
“In general, [pride] is to promote inclusivity, diversity and equity,” he explained. “I think it is especially important now, with all the regressive stuff happening and all the moves to take away some of the rights that were won. This year it is about resilience.”
The festivities aren’t ending with just the parade, vending will remain open in front of the Civic Centre until around 3:00, and a ticketed drag show and party will be taking place inside the Civic Centre this evening, starting at 7:00.
“We are very happy to see all the support Prince George is giving us, and we are looking forward to having more events,” Gottschall said in closing.
The parade is always held at the start of June, which is annual pride month.