The 2017 Muskoka Pride Festival, which runs from July 21-30, celebrates the Muskoka lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) community.
According to Muskoka Pride board member, Shawn Forth, this year’s Festival has a lot of community support. “We have seen a huge increase in support from the community this year, with many new sponsorships. We are excited to have the RBC branches of Muskoka as our Festival Sponsor this year.”
The Pride Festival week begins on Friday July 21 with the annual Pride Kickoff Party in Huntsville at River Mill Park. This year it will feature a community information fair with booths by many community groups and vendors around the park. From 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., come and enjoy music, play some games and activities in the park, and enjoy a free BBQ. Volunteers from the Huntsville Fire Department will once again be cooking the food at the BBQ.
On Monday, July 24, join Muskoka Pride at flag-raising ceremonies at all six Muskoka municipalities. Most ceremonies will be happening at 11:00 a.m., with Huntsville at 12:00 p.m. and Bracebridge at 2:00 p.m. The public is invited to come out and show their support for gender and sexual diversity in Muskoka.
Pride events celebrate lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) culture. Most pride events occur annually and many take place around June to commemorate the Stonewall Riots in New York City on June 28, 1969. The first Pride march happened in 1970. Today Pride events are held in cities and towns all over the world.
The Muskoka Pride Community is a volunteer group that formed in 2009, whose purpose is to increase awareness of the LGBTQ community of Muskoka and to create opportunities for inclusivity within Muskoka that overcome heterosexism and homo/bi/trans-phobia, providing a safe community for LGBT people. The Muskoka Pride Community hosts the annual Muskoka Pride Picnic on the Sunday before the Civic Holiday weekend and Pride Week activities throughout Muskoka.
Everyone, gay and straight alike, is welcome to attend all Muskoka Pride events. A full schedule is available at muskokapride.com.
Muskoka Pride would like to thank its numerous sponsors, including RBC as Festival Sponsor. This year the Signature Sponsors include: The Town of Bracebridge, Bala Cranberry Festival, TD Bank, DailyXtra, and Saunders & Welch.
Don’t miss out on Doppler! Sign up for our free newsletter here.
0 Comments