Vancouver's 36th Pride Parade draws massive crowd
Vancouver's 36th Pride Week celebration wrapped up Sunday with a big show in the West End
Hundreds of thousands of people lined the streets for today's Vancouver Pride Parade.
It's the culmination of a week's worth of events celebrating LGBTQ pride in the city.
The parade, which is in its second year as an "officially designated civic parade," began at noon at Thurlow and Robson, proceeded west on Robson Street, then took a left on Denman and proceeds to English Bay.
The party then moved on along Beach Avenue until Jervis Street, just up from Sunset Beach.
Parade organizers said everyone should be prepared for hot, sunny weather, and should wear a hat, put on sunscreen and bring plenty of water.
The non-profit Vancouver Pride Society, which stages the event, said it would be asking for donations during the parade.
"Bring your loose change and watch for the toonie brigade as they move up and down the parade route collecting toonies for the Vancouver Pride Society," organizers ask.
The parade should be wrapping up between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. along the various portions of the route.
A number of road closures were put in effect in the West End, some beginning as early as 7 a.m. PT:
- 1000-1100 Robson St (Burrard to Bute) 7:00 am to 2 pm.
- 700-900 Thurlow St (Georgia to Nelson) 7:00 am to 2 pm.
- 1100-1600 Robson St (Bute to Denman) 10:00 am to 3 pm.
- 800-1200 Denman St (Robson to Beach) 10:00 am to 4 pm.
- 1300-1700 Beach Ave (Denman to Jervis)10:00 am to 4 pm.
The City of Vancouver says that Robson and Denman will be reopened once the parade has cleared and the streets have been cleaned.
- Are you watching or participating in the parade?
CBC Vancouver wants to see your pride! Snap a photo that you feel captures the spirit of Pride in Vancouver, and share your pic on Twitter or Instagram with the hashtag #cbcvanpride.
And, if you can't make it out, this year the Vancouver Pride Society is live streaming the parade from 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Click here to be taken to that page.
