With Pride rapidly approaching, conversations of late have been centering around the changing nature of ths annual festival. I look back on my past Pride festivals, and I am amazed by how much things have changed, since my first Edmonton parade in 1999, winding its way down 100th Ave to 121 st, and then ending up at Oliver Park. The parade then moved a block north to Jasper Ave, running from 112 St, still ending in Oliver Park. As the festival grew bigger, we switched directions, and starting at 108 St, ran down Jasper Ave and ended up in Churchhill Square.
It seemed like the big time! Having our beer gardens and entertainment stage right there in view of City Hall, it was the acceptance and the publicity we had wanted. The numbers began to increase, growing bigger and bigger until now, again, we're overflowing the space. Where we go from here is anyone's guess (and if you'd like to have a say, I suggest joining up with the Edmonton Pride Festival Committee when they have their AGM later this year).
However, there's another side to pride that I've been thinking about. What are your thoughts?
As the parade and after-party have gotten bigger, it seems to me that we have lost something as well. In a way, it seems we have traded some of the community involvement for some of the corporate sponsorship. As pride has gotten bigger, so too have the costs increased, and subsequently put being a pride sponsor out of the reach for some of the local GLBT businesses that helped pride get to where it is now. It's a trade-off I guess. With bigger names come bigger dollars to pay for a bigger party, but part of me yearns for a simpler time, a decade ago, when the pride spotlights shone brightly back onto ourselves.
With sponsorship comes the need for recognition, and while I applaud TD's generosity these past years, many people, myself included, feel strange about going to the Celebration on the Square presented by TD. It's the dilemma of the corporate dollar, that loses something in a name. It's SilverCity becoming Scotiabank Theatre, its Northlands becoming Rexall Place. In the rebranding, some of the uniqueness, some of the nostalgic magic, gets lost.
I am in no way advocating a return to the past, simply looking back on it fondly and hoping that we don't forget our roots. Pride has expanded from a weekend into a multi-day festival with a mind-blowing variety of events put on by community groups and businesses all over the city. While some people look at "straight" businesses hopping on the bandwagon as simply being in pursuit of the gay dollar, others see it as a sign of the victories we have accomplished, in being embraced by the greater community. While some lament the inability to fall in marching behind the floats as in the past, others see this as a necessary sacrifice for a greater presence. As Edmonton pride and the Edmonton GLBT community continue to grow, we will see more and more of this expansion outside of what Pride used to be.
While you're enjoying the festivities this year, just take a moment to think about what has come before, what has brought us to this point. Change always takes some getting used to, and some changes may not always be for the best, but change is a part of growth, and when I see the growth we have made as a Festival and a community, one thing that HASN'T changed is my pride.
Comments? Feedback? All my articles are meant to provoke thoughts and discussion. Send me your opinions, ideas, arguments. We will revisit this topic as the need arises.
