Almost a decade has passed since Kamloops celebrated its first pride parade in 2017, and it has become a significant annual event commemorating the 2SLGBTQIA+ community in town.

The Kamloops Pride Society, a non-profit organization, has organized events throughout the years, including the much-awaited Pride Week, but their story began 30 years ago.

The original non-profit of Kamloops Pride was established in 1995 as the GALA Dance Society, which stood for the Gay and Lesbian Association. Since then, it has seen various names, and 10 years ago it officially became the Kamloops Pride Society.

“2017 was our first official Pride Week,” said Alyssa Christianson, President of the Kamloops Pride Society. “It was a marching-only parade with minimal road disruptions and community-led which was great. This year marked our seventh Pride Parade.”

The event has seen increasing participation from the community, including schools, businesses, and individuals, demonstrating the growing commitment to inclusivity and support for the queer community in Kamloops.

“We now have a huge parade with motorized floats, with full road closures, with traffic control,” Christianson said. “We have up to 50 entries some years, a huge group of community members walking with us and tons of people on the streets watching.”

Local businesses decorated their storefronts, and community groups marched proudly, many holding signs advocating for equality and love.

Every year Kamloops Pride reaches out to community partners to put on their own events, and this year they had over double the amount of community events coming from the Kamloops Art Gallery, The Kamloops Museum and Archive, and the Library, among others.

“It just makes me very happy that the community is really embracing Pride Week and is willing to put their own time and efforts into putting on Pride events,” Christianson said.

The presence of the Pride Trolls once again drew smiles from attendees of all ages. Their continued participation has made them one of the most recognizable and cherished elements of the parade, symbolizing both joy and unwavering support for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.

While the parade is the highlight for many, Kamloops Pride Week featured a variety of events aimed at education, celebration, and connection. The Kamloops Pride Society emphasized the importance of creating inclusive spaces and providing opportunities for both visibility and dialogue year-round.

“We work on resources behind the scenes, we work with TRU students very often, law students or nursing students, to develop different resources for the community,” Christianson said. “There are ways to connect with us and also to meet people in the 2SLGBTQIA+ community in Kamloops all year round.

The Kamloops Pride Society is looking forward to the upcoming year, focusing on looking at their board resiliency and recruitment and looking to add more members of the community to the organization.

As the city wraps up this year’s Pride celebrations, the continued growth in participation and support highlights the lasting impact of the first parade in 2017, and the community’s ongoing commitment to fostering acceptance and equality.