Hamilton Pride festival goes indoors. In-person celebration returns for first time since 2019

Pride Hamilton will make a jump back to the real world this month after the pandemic put the annual in-person celebrations on a nearly three-year pause.

The festivities, dubbed a reunion for the city's LGBTQ community, will take place at the Hamilton Convention Centre from July 8 to 9.

The gathering will mark the first time Pride Hamilton has hosted its celebrations in-person since 2019 - the year the festival ended in violence, injuries and a number of arrests when radical evangelical protesters crashed the picnic at Gage Park.

And like celebrations of years gone by, there will be drag performances, vendors and booths set up by local organizations.

That includes performances from Drag Race France host and RuPaul's Drag Race contestant Nicky Doll, Canada's Drag Race star Anastarzia Anaquway as well as local Hamilton drag artist Karma Kameleon.

But this year, the entire festival will take place indoors - a departure from its usual presence at public parks around the city.

Speaking to The Spectator, Pride Hamilton chair Kiel Hughes said the decision to host the event indoors was fuelled by several underlying reasons, but not because of what happened in 2019.

Hughes said the reasons include safety and accessibility plans, timeline challenges surrounding the loosening of COVID-19 regulations and that the organization is operating on reduced manpower" due to a lack of volunteers.

It wasn't feasible to pull off an event like that," said Hughes. We're just trying to do what we can with what we have."

Hamilton police will be present at the event, but only for security purposes, noted Hughes.

The fallout of the 2019 event spurred both an independent and internal review of the actions officers took that day.

While the internal inquiry found complaints against the service were unsubstantiated," the independent probe concluded police should apologize for an inadequate" response that left attendees unprotected.

The police board, which commissioned the $600,000 independent review, agreed to implement the 38 recommendations lawyer Scott Bergman included in his report.

Just days after the independent report was released, Pride Hamilton filed a human rights complaint against both police and the city, alleging discrimination resulted in the police's response to violence at the 2019 festival.

In a statement to The Spectator, Hamilton police spokesperson Jackie Penman said the force has been proactively working in collaboration" with Pride Hamilton on security needs for this year's event.

Penman said paid-duty officers will be present in the vicinity of the event" to ensure a safe environment" for both attendees as well as the community at large.

Hamilton police are committed to ensuring a safe environment for the attendees and the community at large, regardless of where events take place," said Penman in an email. We want everyone to be able to enjoy a peaceful, lawful and safe celebration."

Even still, for some community members, the move indoors represents challenges surrounding COVID-19 as well as queer visibility in the city.

Community member Mike Des Jardins told The Spectator he's undecided on whether he'll attend this year, pointing to a sense of caution" surrounding large indoor events.

Hughes said those attending the event are more than welcome" to wear masks, but due to the province dropping the mandatory masking mandate, the organization felt they were unable to enforce their own rules.

Lisa-Marie Johnston, a member of the city's LGBTQ advisory committee, said with Pride being hosted indoors, it seems like the visibility is gone."

She did, however, point to a rise in independent community organizers, like Fruit Salad Hamilton Edition and House of Adam and Steve, who have both hosted events this past month. She will be attending the celebration next weekend, she noted.

Des Jardins said attending outdoor Pride events - like the parade in Toronto - when he first came out offered his younger self the chance to be visible and celebrate" who he was with his community around him.

It was exhilarating," said Des Jardins. Young people now absolutely need the opportunity to feel that way."

That sentiment has also spurred a Queer March and Street Party that is set to take place on July 7.

Organized by Marsha Kauffman, the event is described as less-disapointing (sic) alternative" to the official Pride event. The Spectator reached out to Kauffman for comment but did not receive a response.

However, in a post to the Facebook event page, Kauffman said Hamilton Pride is about taking up space, not hiding indoors in a convention centre." The march, which starts with a rally at Gore Park at 7:30 p.m., will celebrate queerness on a nice walk around the city as is tradition."

Hughes called the counter-event discouraging" for the organization, pointing to the need for volunteers to help organize celebrations that welcome everybody."

Hughes, however, did note that the organization is hopeful" that attendees of the main event are excited and looking forward" to connecting after years apart.

Fallon Hewitt is a reporter at The Spectator. fhewitt@thespec.com

Pride Hamilton

Taking place from July 8 to 9, Friday's festivities will include vendors operating from 1 to 7 p.m. On Saturday, celebrations will begin with vendors running from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Then in the evening, Drag Race France host and RuPaul's Drag race contestant Nicky Doll and Canada's Drag Race star Anastarzia Anaquway will take the stage with Hamilton drag artist Karma Kameleon and other local talent from 9:30 to 11:30 p.m.

Tickets for the drag shows range from just shy of $12 to $54.

For more information, visit facebook.com/pridehamilton.