It will be a big year for River of Pride as the southeastern New Brunswick festival marks its 25th anniversary.
Officials with the 2SLGBTQIA+ non-profit organization unveiled this year’s programming on Wednesday.
Vice-President Natasha Landry said they are planning an extra week of activities to mark the anniversary.
“What that means is more activities for our community, which means we need a bigger budget. We set a fundraising goal of $100,000 for our 25th activities,” said Landry.
With more than 40 events on its programming, the 25th anniversary represents a record year for the festival.
Landry said there will be activities for everyone during the festival, which will run from Aug. 16 to Sept. 1.
New this year is Eat with Pride, a partnership with Moments NB and Hub City Foodies.
“Think poutine fest, burger fest, taco fest, but queer and colourful,” said Landry.
Organizers are also planning a family weekend on Aug. 24 and 25 with lots of kid-friendly events.
That includes a family day at Centennial Park and family trivia at Pays de la Sagouine on Saturday, and a family day at Caseley Park in Riverview on Sunday.
“It’s amazing to celebrate Pride with people that are 19+, but we need to make sure that our younger community also feels that inclusion,” said Landry
The annual Pride parade will take place in Moncton at 2 p.m. on Aug. 31. It will start at the corner of Main and Robinson streets and make its way to Riverfront Park.
That will be followed by a Pride market at 2:30 p.m., a vigil at 6:30 p.m., and the Pride concert at 6:35 p.m.
Priyanka, the winner of the first season of Canada’s Drag Race, will headline the show. Fireworks will end the night at 10 p.m.
Officials say the festival will include a mix of free and ticketed events. Tickets will go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday on their website.
