Windsor Pride Parade — colourful celebration of solidarity, unity
By Madeline Mazak Windsor Star
Glitter, balloons, confetti — and a whole lot of pride — filled Ottawa Street on Sunday as thousands gathered to celebrate Windsor’s 2SLGBTQIA+ community and inclusivity.
The Windsor-Essex Pride Fest Parade, which has been celebrated for 32 years, served as a vibrant finale to 10 days of festivities across the city.
Crowds of supporters clad in colourful outfits danced, cheered and sang their way down Ottawa Street, starting at Argyle Road and proceeding to Lanspeary Park, where the festival has been held since 2021.
“It was electric,” Windsor-Essex Pride Fest president Wendi Nicholson told the Star later on Sunday.
All were welcome to line the street and fly their rainbow flags as this year’s 70 floats paraded by.
Even four-legged friends could be found among the crowds sporting rainbow-coloured bandanas and collars — and multi-coloured ballerina tutus.
“It really is the definition of what community is here in Windsor,” said former Windsor-Essex Pride Festival board member Stephen Drouin — also known as the vibrant drag queen Hawaii Goodvibes —who joined Sunday’s celebrations.
“That’s what makes it fabulous — it has that feeling of family.”
Having attended Windsor’s pride parade for the past 12 consecutive years, Drouin added that the event is important “representation” for the city’s queer community.
“It’s allowing people to just know that they can be who they want to be, and whatever that looks like, is okay,” he said.
Nicholson estimates that around 8,000 people attended the weekend’s pride events.
“It shows that we are a growing community,” said Nicholson.
“We’re not going anywhere, and we have so many allies with us, and the ally group is growing bigger every year.”
Pride Fest 2024 kicked off with a flag-raising ceremony at City Hall Square downtown on Aug 2, followed by a Pride Shabbat dinner at the Windsor Jewish Community Centre. More pride fun included a drag lunch at the Bull & Barrel Urban Saloon with 93.9 Virgin Radio’s Hannah and Jonny, a two-hour guided bus tour exploring 2SLGBTQAI+ in Windsor-Essex, and Run for Rocky at the riverfront.
Sunday’s parade went off without a hitch, even though many similar events held in cities across Canada this summer were interrupted by pro-Palestinian demonstrators.
Nicholson said that her “main concern” on Sunday was the possibility of such a disruption.
In July, Toronto Pride Parade was stopped by a group called the Coalition Against Pinkwashing, which urged Pride Toronto to break ties with corporations associated with Israel. Protesters interrupted the parade on Yonge Street, forcing organizers to cancel the event about an hour early, leaving at least 67 floats and groups unable to continue forward.
“It was a concern, but we were ready for it,” said Nicholson, adding that she worked with the Windsor Police Service to ensure the parade ran smoothly.
“I had a plan in place, but nothing ended up coming to fruition.”
Among parade participants were Windsor and LaSalle police officers sporting Pride’s rainbow colour patches.
Though Windsor’s ten vibrant days of festivities have drawn to a close, Nicholson said that pride never ends.
The Windsor-Essex Pride Fest continues to host events throughout the year. Visit wepridefest.com for more information.
