Pride festivities will soon commence in the Foothills.
2024 Pride Foothills Wide kicks off on Sunday, June 2 at 12:00 p.m. with a flag raising at the Okotoks Municipal Centre, accompanied by a "Make Your Own Pride Flag" activity sponsored by the McMan Family Resource Network.
On Monday, June 3 at 11 a.m., a mental health de-stressing "permission to pause" event will be hosted at the Okotoks Public Library.
A screening of recently-released animated film Garfield is happening at 6 p.m. on June 4 at Okotoks Cinema. Tickets are available here, and partial proceeds of ticket and concession sales going toward supporting True Colors Rainbow Alliance.
A "Be Gay, Do Crafts" event is being hosted by McMan Family Resource Network from 7 to 9 p.m. on Wednesday, June 5. No experience in arts and crafts is needed, and participants are encouraged to bring their own projects to work on.
On Thursday, June 6, a "Pride After Dark Burlesque Show" featuring performers from Cabaret Calgary is happening at Okotoks Elks Hall at 7 p.m. Tickets are available here.
The Pride Prom Gayla, an all-ages prom with live music and fun activities, is happening at Okotoks Elks Hall on Friday, June 7 from 7 to 11:45 p.m. Tickets are available here.
Saturday, June 8 marks the circus-themed street festival, complete with vendors and live performances, on Elizabeth Street from noon to 8 p.m.
To wrap up the week's festivities, an adults-only drag brunch show will be held at Eau Claire Distillery on Sunday, June 9, with a buffet brunch from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. and drag show from noon to 2 p.m. Tickets are available here.
Pride Month takes place in June annually, and Pride Season is commemorated across Canada from June to September.
Okotoks Pride is on hiatus as of May 13. Pride groups including Foothills Rainbow Collective, True Colors Rainbow Alliance, High River Pride and All Ages Drag, which hosts an annual Mother's Day picnic for the LBGTQ community in Okotoks, will continue operations.
The Town of Okotoks is investigating vandalism that was discovered at the Pride crosswalk in Olde Town Okotoks on May 30, three days before the beginning of 2024 Pride Foothills Wide celebrations on June 2. The Town of Okotoks and Okotoks Municipal Enforcement are investigating the incident.
