Guelph Pride 2017 will kick off in style Saturday with an expanded opening ceremony and community celebration at
The formal part of the kick-off to the week long celebration of the LGBTQ community will include guest speaker Amber Holmes, co-founder/facilitator with the
That will be followed by a variety of entertainment, including live music, drag queens and a DJ. The Lifers and the Rolling Blackouts will perform. There will also be a beer garden featuring Wellington Brewery.
A host of family-friendly activities are also planned.
"We've had a lot of feedback for an all-day celebration where the entire community can join in," said Stevie Forbes-Roberts, who is co-chairing Guelph Pride with Hazel Moore.
Forbes-Roberts said that she expects 500 people to attend the event, which gets underway at
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Another new addition to Guelph Pride this year is Pride Pets in the Park event at
Pride Pets can play together in a fenced-in area and pet owners get a chance to meet one another.
"It's a great way for people to get to meet new people in the city," Forbes-Roberts said.
Guelph Pride 2017 activities actually kick off Friday night with a trio events.
There is a free Youth Go Gaming event at Afterlife Video Game Lounge on
A filming of Fire Song, a film about a bisexual Anishanabe teenager struggling to deal with the death of his sister's suicide will be screened at 10 Carden beginning at 7 p.m. Cost is $10 or pay what you can. The showing will be followed by a discussion with Donna Chief, community liason with Waibigoon Ojibway Nation where the film was shot.
The third event Friday is a Learn To Treat Me Right Workshop: Gender Edition taking place at DSTRCT on
For a full list of the week's events go to www.guelphpride.com.