Vancouver Pride has announced this year's theme as the annual festival returns to in-person activities after a hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 44th annual festival in July will be called Together Again as people are able to gather again after years separated by concerns about the pandemic.
"It is meant to highlight the excitement and importance around gathering for in-person, community-focused events again in 2022," states the society in a press release.
The plan is for the festival to return as it was pre-pandemic with in-person events, activities and more. That includes the Sunset Beach Festival and Pride Parade, which has drawn upwards of 400,000 spectators in the past.
However, in the spirit of inclusivity, there will on online events as well.
“For the past two Pride seasons, we’ve had to adapt the festival in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, curating and delivering virtual and at-home programming," says the society's interim director Lee Keple.
In advance of the festival, the society's Unicorn Ball is coming up in May. It acts as a fundraiser for their bursary program.
