Pride Day coming to Thorold park as part of the Games’ 13-for-13 Festival

While not connected directly to any one town or city like the other 13-For-13 festivals, Pride Day can be considered Niagara-wide and do they ever have a line-up.

Taking place tomorrow (August 17) at the Niagara Place in the Canada Games Park (2021 Canada Games Way, Thorold), it’ll be a day long festival running from 10 am to 10 pm.

“Led by Pride Niagara, Positive Living Niagara, and sponsor Accenture, Pride Day will bring participants, spectators, and volunteers of the 2022 Canada Games together to celebrate LGBTQI2S social and self-acceptance, achievements, and pride,” say organizers.

“Entertainment during the event will be a true highlight of Niagara’s sexual and gender diverse community. Performers will include Nano Taleb and Jasmine Whyte, and will also feature an array of live singing, dancing and drag performances.”

At 11:30 am, it’ll be the Strong Water Women Drum Group followed by Drag Queen Story Time with Katana at noon.

At 1 pm, Dance Lessons with Foundations Dance Company will coax everyone’s feet to move with the music.

At 1:30 pm, drag queen Vanity a La Mode will host her first of two events on the day with an Afternoon Pride Party. A regular featured performer on Church St. in Niagara Falls, she’s billed as “a throwback gal with a hint of camp and a whole lot of ice cream!”

At 3 pm, Pop and R&B recording artist and St. Catharines native Jasmine Whyte, one of Canada’s latest break-out artists, hits the stage. It’ll be a busy week for Whyte as she’s also playing the Niagara Falls Family Pride Event at TAPS Brewhouse in Niagara Falls on August 20.

At 5 pm, there will be a large Speaker Series at the park as a handful of folks will be at the podium telling their truths and handling questions.

Back to the music at 6 pm as Canadian pop singer Nano Taleb is on stage followed at 7 pm by Saint Stone, “a trio of tender queers from Niagara, on the shared territory of the Haudenosaunee, Anishinaabeg, Huron-Wendat, and Neutral peoples.”

“This punk/grunge/indie group screams and shouts about what it’s like for some of us to live and love in this world. Their sound is unique, forward-driving, and lovingly described as ‘catchy, yet depressing’.”

And finally at 8 pm, host Vanity a La Mode will be back with the Closing Party Drag Event.