Airdrie Pride will be hosting its first ever Pride Festival in Airdrie this summer.

The Pride group has been working on the project for a long time and is excited to invite the community to come out and show their support for the local LGBTQ+ community.

The theme for Airdrie Pride 2019 is ‘Putting Down Roots’. Tammy Plunkett with the Pride group said people in the LGBTQ2S+ community should not have to leave their community to find their community.

“Airdrie Pride has been around for a while, but we really have gained a lot of momentum in the last year,” Plunkett said.

The pride festival will start with a Solidarity Walk instead of a parade. The group said this is in an effort to highlight the struggle the community has faced in the on-going quest for equality.

“We are choosing [the] Solidarity Walk instead of a parade to pay homage to this community-driven resistance, and pay homage Marsha P. Johnson and all of those before us who fought and died in order to propel us forward into a world of love and acceptance,” said Airdrie Pride in a statement about the event.

“This is by the people, for the people. Where our community will stand together, in solidarity, as a testament of our unity, resilience, and refusal to go quietly into the night.”

The event will see members of the LGBTQ+ community, along with their supporters and allies, gather at City Hall at 10:30 A.M. on June 22nd For the walk to Nose Creek Park.

“There won’t be any [people in] uniforms, there won’t be any politicians, there won’t be businesses, it’s not a dance,” Plunkett explained. “It’s a solidarity walk and we’re doing it to recognize that we still have some fight in us to move forward.”

Following the walk, there will be Pride in the Park which is where the celebrations will happen. Airdrie Pride said there will be speeches, a flag raising and an afternoon of activities, entertainment and food trucks.

Plunkett said the community is invited to attend Airdrie Pride 2019 and show their support. For more information click HERE.

 

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