By Courtney Bell and Emilie Quesnel
BELLEVILLE – People going to the Pre-Pride event on July 3 can expect a night of festivities and coming together for the LGBTQ community and their supporters.
The party will be a kick-off celebration for Belleville’s annual Pride in the Park event happening on July 4. The party will begin at 7:30 p.m. at the Banquet Centre in Alhambra Square.
While Pride in the Park is an all-ages event, the pre-party is only for those 19 years and older.
Eric Hargreaves, a member of the planning committee, says the headliner for the event will be Toronto-born comedian Elvira Kurt. After Kurt’s comedy act, the party will move to the banquet centre for a dance.
This year is only the second time that this pre-party has been held. Hargreaves says that the party’s aim is to reach a wider audience and create opportunities for the LGBTQ community to make connections with others from Belleville and the surrounding area.
“It’s a great cause. My brother is a homosexual and events like this are really important to him and then by extension us, his family, and its good to get this message out and celebrate while doing it,” said Scott Gardner, a 19-year-old Trent-Loyalist journalism student who plans to attend.
Hargreaves says the LGBTQ community in this area has been “fairly invisible”, so this type of event is the perfect way to celebrate these individuals and their supporters.
“It’s also a lot of fun! It’s a really joyful occasion with lots of colour and lots of different kinds of folks. It’s a good opportunity to party as well.”