Rainbow flag hoisted to kick off Collingwood Pride

A little rain didn’t stop Collingwood Pride from raising the flag on Friday at the Collingwood Public Library to kick off Pride weekend.

“This is our fourth annual Pride Festival. It just keeps getting bigger and better every year,” said John Miller of Collingwood Pride and the Rainbow Club of South Georgian Bay.

“I want to say how proud I am to be a member of this community — both the LGBTQ+ community, and the community of Collingwood.”

This year, the festival grounds will be on Simcoe Street, which will be closed to traffic and fully pedestrianized on Saturday from 2 to 11 p.m. The festival grounds and stage area are fully licensed, featuring a beverage garden accessible to everyone aged 19 and over with valid ID.

A separate Family Zone operated by the Collingwood Optimist Club in partnership with the Collingwood BIA will be set up at 84 Hurontario St. (across from town hall) from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and will feature crafts, circus performers, face painting, temporary tattoos, and balloon animal art.

A Variety Show will take place on Saturday from 2 to 4 p.m., which will feature Simcoe County talent on the main stage.

The Collingwood Pride Parade will start at 5 p.m. on Saturday, and travel through Collingwood’s downtown.

To close out the festivities, an All-Star Drag Show will take the main stage on Saturday night, featuring Canada’s Drag Race Season 1 winner Priyanka.

For a full schedule of Collingwood Pride Festival events, click here.