Thousands take part in Queen City Pride Parade

Bagpipes, bubbles and banners — those were just a few of the many things on display during the 2023 Queen City Pride Parade.

Thousands of people marched along Victoria Avenue and through downtown on Saturday.

Thousands of people marched through Regina’s downtown during the 2023 Queen City Pride Parade on June 10, 2023.
(Daniel Reech/980 CJME)

Among those watching was Kathy Hamre, one of the people who organized Regina’s first Pride event in 1990.

Hamre said the festival has changed a lot since then. During the early events, many participants covered their faces out of fear due to the social stigma and fear of ostracization.

“This is a much bigger parade and we’re not wearing masks anymore, so that’s a big step in the right direction,” Hamre said.

Another person having a good time on a warm June afternoon was Venezya Thorsteinson.

She’s been coming to Pride events for a couple years and said it’s good to see just how much the festival has grown.

“I’m here for the good vibes. As a queer person, I enjoy being in a community with fellow queer people and experiencing the good vibes,” Thorsteinson said.

“Everyone’s always happy, ready to dance and have a good time. I love to come out and I love to support and be with the group.”

Chelsea Dirksen has been to about four Pride events in Regina. She said this year’s may have been the biggest one yet since she started going.

“Even though I’m not part of it, I think it’s important to support others and show that love is love and everyone should be who they are,” Dirksen said.

This was the first Pride event that lifelong Regina resident Jennifer Wilker has attended.

“This is my first year and it’s fantastic. Bright colours, a lot of people — it just seems like a place to go (that’s) friendly,” Wilker said.

Thousands of people marched through Regina’s downtown during the 2023 Queen City Pride Parade on June 10, 2023.
(Daniel Reech/980 CJME)

Alex Keem and Cailee Bell were also watching on Victoria Avenue. The two wanted to show support for Regina’s queer community.

“A lot of people we love are in the community and we just want to show our support and enjoy the fun colours,” Bell said.

“We’ve got a couple of folks who we know who are directly in the parade so we wanted to come out and make sure we see them in all of their festivity,” Keem added.

Bell said this is her first pride event as she had previously been unable to attend due to work. Keem has been going to the parade for about five years.

“I think it’s gone up in terms of the number of people that are attending. It’s been really great to see (that) the parade gets longer and has more attendance every year,” Keem said.