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Collingwood Pride ramping up for first in-person festival

‘It’s about time we had a big event in Collingwood again,’ says event co-organizer
2021-07-15 Pride JO-002
Passersby take photos with the rainbow-lit Collingwood sign on July 15, 2021.

Collingwood will be a sea of rainbows come July 15.

The 2022 Collingwood Pride Festival is slated for July 15 to 17, and co-organizer Dr. John Miller, who is also the Rainbow Club of South Georgian Bay co-founder, came before Collingwood council this week asking how the town would be willing to get involved in this year’s festivities, which will mark the first time the festival will be held in-person since its inception in 2020.

“It’s about time we had a big event in Collingwood again,” said Miller.

On July 15, the festivities are planned to kick off with a flag-raising ceremony. There will be a dedication ceremony for the new LGBTQ+-themed statue in Tremont Square as well as a street party including drag queens and kings, a live DJ, vendors market, face painting and balloon artists.

On July 16, organizers are planning a Pride Run with VO2 Sports, a discussion panel on diversity, inclusion and equality, buskers and circus performers along Hurontario St., a concert on Pine St. and a Pride Parade.

On July 17, there is a drag brunch at Poppy’s and a spoken word open mic event at Awen Gathering Place.

More details on each of the individual events are planned to be finalized and revealed in the coming weeks.

In concert with the festival, organizers are also offering sensitivity training to individuals and businesses that are interested. There will be a window decorating contest in Collingwood’s downtown, as well as flags, hats and stickers for sale.

During Miller’s presentation, he noted different ways the town could get involved in the festivities, including helping with promotion, council’s participation in the pride parade, representation at the flagraising ceremony, giving approval for live entertainers on Hurontario St., providing an in-kind donation to cover costs such as the Simcoe St. closure, and the Pine St. parking lot closure.

Miller also asked if the town would be willing to make a donation to the event of $5,000. The total budget for the event is expected to be more than $100,000, with TD Bank as a title sponsor.

“I think it’s really important that the Town of Collingwood has a presence somewhere when it shows who has given support,” said Miller.

At the end of the meeting, Coun. Bob Madigan put forward a notice of motion for the Town of Collingwood to make a $5,000 contribution to the 2022 Collingwood Pride Festival. The motion will be considered at the May 30 meeting of council.

“In the past, we have always been very cognizant of how much festivals brought into our community, and this one brings in a lot,” said Madigan.

For more information on the 2022 Collingwood Pride Festival, click here.


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Jessica Owen

About the Author: Jessica Owen

Jessica Owen is an experienced journalist working for Village Media since 2018, primarily covering Collingwood and education.
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