Pride Hamilton to bring celebration back outdoors in August
Pride Hamilton will be hosting its first outdoors event in more than three years in late August.
The organization had initially planned to host the celebration on June 18, however, on Monday they announced on Instagram that it had been moved to Aug. 27 at Pier 4 Park.
The gathering will mark the first time Pride Hamilton has hosted its celebrations outside in the city 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.
We have deliberated painstakingly to ensure our choice of venue facilitates a safe, accessible and enjoyable event for everyone," read the post. Pier 4 Park delivers on our promise to bring Pride back outdoors."
Pride Hamilton hosted last year's festivities, which marked the first in-person celebration in nearly three years, indoors - a move that drew some criticism from members of the city's LGBTQ community and spurred an independent Queer March and Street Party.
Chair Kiel Hughes previously told The Spectator that last year's change of venue was fuelled by several underlying reasons, but not because of what happened in 2019.
Hughes said those reasons included safety and accessibility plans, timeline challenges surrounding the loosening of COVID-19 regulations and that the organization was operating on reduced manpower" due to a lack of volunteers.
This past December, Pride Hamilton posted a letter to Instagram telling community members they were still at the drawing board" on this year's festivities, adding that safety was one of the biggest priorities" for the organization.
We have witnessed that unfortunately hate is still very real in the community," read the letter. We should have a presence here just as everyone else does."
The organization then put out a call out for ideas on organizing events, noting that accessibility, representation and the presence of Hamilton police were among the barriers they were hoping to address for community members.
In June 2020, Pride Hamilton filed a human rights complaint about the police response to the 2019 event, alleging discrimination against the organization by not protecting celebrants during the gathering." The Spectator reported in December that the complaint appeared headed for mediation.
Police were present at last year's celebration but only in the vicinity of the event, according to a spokesperson for the force.
Pride Hamilton also called for more volunteers, board members and the creation of a planning committee for the annual celebration to achieve those goals."
While details on this year's festivities remain sparse, the organization said there will be vendors, a beer garden, food, family and youth activities, as well as performances.
The event will run from noon to 8 p.m. Vendor and performer applications will open on May 15.
The park is serviced by public transit and there is ample parking for those who drive. There are also paved paths for those using mobility devices, added the post.
Fallon Hewitt is a reporter at The Spectator. fhewitt@thespec.com