Vancouver Pride Parade 2016

Described on Sunday, July 31 at Noon - Free Public Event! Alexandra Park Access Area, 1755 Beach Avenue (near Bidwell), Vancouver | Map

VocalEye is pleased and proud to provide live description of the 38th Annual Vancouver Pride Parade for people who are blind and partially sighted. This is VocalEye’s second year describing the Vancouver Pride Parade thanks to a request from Richard Marion, a member of the blind community. 

Headsets and priority seating will be provided free of charge for people with vision loss in the accessibility area at Alexandra Park from 11 am to 3 pm on Parade Day (Sunday, July 31). Reservations are required. Seating and equipment are limited. Some ride-shares are available for VocalEye members. Contact 604-364-5949 or info@vocaleye.ca 

Described by Teri Snelgrove and Rick Waines with live-tweets from VocalEye volunteers.


The 2016 Vancouver Pride Society announced the theme for this season will be “Better Together”. For many members of the LGTBQ2+ community, isolation is a very real issue. Without family support or a network of friends, life can feel extremely difficult. When we stand together, support each other and believe in one another, it makes everyone stronger. Through a human rights lens, when we band together, we have the power to affect positive social change and carve out space for each of us to celebrate who we are. It’s definitely better together!

Your sighted friends are welcome to have a listen to Teri and Rick’s description of the participants, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, if we have extra equipment available. We’ll also bring some splitters so bring some extra ear buds and you can share your receiver. Friends can also follow our live tweets on Twitter.

The Accessibility Area features covered seating, shade and washroom facilities.

Be sure to dress for the weather as necessary and don’t forget your sunscreen! We’ll have some light snacks and bottled water to share and you might want to bring your own as well.

Attracting more than 650,000 people, the Vancouver Pride Parade is one of the most beautiful, diverse and successful LGBTTQ celebrations in the world. Beginning as a protest march in 1978, the Vancouver Pride Festival has evolved into the largest parade in Western Canada, and the 5th largest Pride celebration in the world. What began as a small event in 1981 has now grown into a landmark parade encompassing hundreds of people and city-wide festival attracting over 650,000 people from all four corners of the world to the streets of Vancouver. It is a chance for people to come together to show their support to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community and to celebrate acceptance and the freedom to be who you are, no matter your ethnicity, sexuality, size, shape or ability.

SUPPORT MATERIALS

PRIDE GUIDE 2016 (Word doc)