The COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of the Victoria Day parade in 2021 and 2022. Thankfully, the parade is returning this year. If you are excited about it, read on to know how the Victoria Day Parade is returning this month after a 2-year hiatus.
The Financial Impact
The Great
Victoria Festival Society or GVFS said that the financial impact of
canceling the parade in 2020 was considerable. The main reason is that the
event brings millions of dollars to the city's tourism sector.
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The Virtual Parade
The organization also created a Virtual
Parade to replace the in-person parade. The GVFS also asked Canadian and
American performers, bands, floats, and walking groups to send in their videos
or pictures of their most recent performances as they couldn't participate in
the event.
2022 Victoria Day Parade
In 2022, the Victoria Day Parade will be
organized on May 23rd. The organizers stated this on the website- "The
Greater Victoria Festival Society will host a world-class event showcasing our
diverse cultures and celebrating our Frontline workers from various business
and nonprofit organizations. We are thrilled to be back, and we dedicate 2022
to all of YOU!"
The Route
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The Victoria Day Parade will begin at
Mayfair Mall and continue along Douglas Street. It will finish at the
intersection of Douglas and Humboldt Street.GVFS stated that hundreds of
cultural performances and floats would be organized along the entire route of
the parade.
Supporting 41 Festivals
The City of Victoria announced via a statement
that it would support 41 festivals in 2022. About $321,200 will be Festival
Investment Grant Funding, and about $129,500 will be in-kind contributions. It
is hoped that the money will help boost the parade and mark the return of the
festival season.
The GVFS has received $16,000 in funding.
It will go towards the Victoria Day Parade and Santa Light Parade.
Mayor Lisa Helps said, "Grab your sun
hat and festival chair, after the long pandemic hiatus, it's going to be a
great summer for arts and culture events in Victoria. I am thrilled to see the
exciting lineup of culturally diverse, family-friendly events, from dance and
theatre to music and community performances. There is something new to attend
every week."
The parade would aim to honor the frontline
workers. The city will also publish an online "City Vibe" guide with
a complete list of summer events in May. One can check the full schedule of the
Victoria Day 2022 Parade over here.
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Return of the Pride Parade
The Victoria Pride Festival is also
scheduled from June 23rd to July 2nd. The Victoria Pride Parade will
cruise through town on Sunday, June 26th.
Victoria Pride Society said, "The
colorful march will envelop the downtown Inner Harbour in the most vibrant
display of pride on Vancouver Island."
VPS President Britton Kohn said, "I'm
excited to collaborate with both an invigorated board of directors and our
first-ever executive director to ensure 2SLGBTQIA+ communities are the focus of
our parade and festival, especially after two years of living in isolation. Together,
we will continue to do the work to produce Pride so that all folks feel
included; we are already looking forward to more volunteers getting
involved."
Sources:
https://www.victorianow.com/watercooler/news/news/Victoria/The_Victoria_Day_Parade_is_returning_this_month_after_a_2_year_hiatus/
https://www.victoriabuzz.com/2022/03/its-official-the-victoria-day-parade-is-returning-this-may-after-a-two-year-hiatus/
https://vancouverisland.ctvnews.ca/victoria-day-parade-pride-parade-among-events-returning-this-summer-1.5833676
https://www.victoriabuzz.com/2022/03/victoria-pride-festival-and-parade-return-in-person-this-summer/