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Organizers of the 2022 Victoria Pride estimate the size of this year’s celebration is about twice as large as previous years, as people came out to show solidarity with the 2SLGBTQIA+ communities.
Ace Mann, secretary of the Victoria Pride Society says this is the first Pride celebration since before the pandemic so there was a high turnout.
“All of the metrics probably are going out the window,” they said. “It’s the first Pride in three years so I think everyone’s a bit starved to be with community, it’s so exciting.”
A post shared by Victoria Pride Society (@victoriapridesociety)
This year’s Pride Parade had 189 floats, and Mann says there were double the number of vendors at the Festival in the Park after the Parade.
Mann says while they are excited to see everyone coming out, they hope people keep the hot weather in mind during the celebrations.
“Please everyone, sunscreen water we have ample porta-potties,” Mann said. “I want people to be taking care of themselves, finding shade, finding water, finding sunscreen, and having an amazing time safely.”
Victoria Police say it estimates there were more than 30,000 people in attendance as of 2:30 p.m.
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During the festival, there were points where police had to limit the number of people entering due to capacity limits at the park.
Officers are walking the perimeter of the park, letting folks know that MacDonald Park is currently at capacity. @VictoriaPride has made an announcement from the stage updating everyone. Thank you for your patience, #yyj #yyjpride.
— Victoria Police (@vicpdcanada) June 26, 2022
However, by 1:45 p.m., VicPD said the capacity limits had been resolved.
The capacity issues at MacDonald Park have stabilized. @VictoriaPride have everything well in hand, & most officers are no longer needed on scene. #yyjtraffic will continue to be disrupted in James Bay this afternoon. Thanks for your patience, #yyj.
— Victoria Police (@vicpdcanada) June 26, 2022
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