Fostering Community and Pride at the 2024 Calgary Pride Parade and beyond

Press Release

Sept. 3, 2024

On Sunday, staff, volunteers, friends and family of The Confluence Historic Site & Parkland proudly walked amongst the vibrant crowd of the 2024 Calgary Pride Parade. Walking in the parade this year is a bright symbol of The Confluence’s dedication to supporting the 2SLGBTQ+ community year-round.

The not-for-profit organization sponsored the parade by providing the outdoor venue space required for the Pride Flag Ceremony on Aug. 23 and needed for preparing and organizing nearly 200 parade entries for the 1.6 km walk through downtown Calgary on Sept. 1.

This sponsorship is one of many efforts The Confluence is making to contribute to an inclusive and welcoming community for all, according to Jennifer Thompson, President of The Confluence.

“This is such an important partnership to us. Not only is Calgary Pride an integral part of this city’s history, but it’s also an incredible community builder,” says Thompson. “The Pride Parade is an important moment for the 2SLGBTQ+ community and we are thrilled to be part of it, but we all need to show up for the cause the other 364 days a year.”

Throughout the year, The Confluence donates program space to Skipping Stone, a not-for-profit focused on providing affirming care to trans and gender-diverse individuals in Calgary.

Another way The Confluence team is creating space for 2SLGBTQ+ communities and stories is through unique programming.

Hundreds of well-dressed guests attended the first official Queer Prom at The Confluence last June. The soon-to-be annual event invited community to celebrate pride by giving an authentic, queer prom to anyone who missed out on the experience or simply wanted to relive a perfect prom night in a 2SLGBTQIA+ friendly environment.

Zack Beer, the Arts & Culture Experience Manager at The Confluence says the response to running queer-focused events and programs has been overwhelmingly positive.

“We were just blown away by the response to Queer Prom—it completely sold out, and we received a lot of amazing feedback asking for us to do more 2SLGBTQ+ centered events.” Beer says.

Another popular program that The Confluence runs year-round is the Queer History Walking Tour.

This one-hour guided tour explores the existence, perceptions, and the criminalization of queerness from the early colonial-frontier days, and the relevance of this history to both past and present Calgary.

“A lot of Confluence staff members identify as part of the queer community and they are really passionate about the work we do,” says Beer. “It’s meaningful to include their voices and perspectives in planning and facilitating our events and programs.”

Registration is open now for the next Queer History Walking Tour on Saturday, Sept. 7 at 11 am.

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