Flin Flon will have a chance to show some Pride earlier this summer than in the past. Plans for the 2021 edition of Flin Flon Pride are underway and some events have already been pencilled in the schedule.
While the exact makeup isn’t yet known, there are tentative plans for events this summer’s LGBTQ+ celebration, including the now-traditional Pride march and possible family events, COVID-19 pending.
“We’re still working out the details,” said Pride organizer Jordana Oulette.
Perhaps the biggest change is when this year’s event will take place. Instead of taking place in mid-to-late August like last year’s Pride, this year’s Flin Flon Pride will take place in early July, not long after Canada Day. Flin Flon’s city council approved a measure during their April 6 meeting to proclaim July 2-11 as “Flin Flon Pride Week”, matching up with the dates suggested by the Pride group.
The festivities, on first glance, line up close to the Flin Flon Trout Festival, which is typically observed on the last weekend of June or first weekend of July. However, this year’s Trout Festival does not yet have a firm date or events list, leaving the early July time slot available for Pride.
Oulette said the change in dates is not meant to be a permanent change for the Pride group.
“This isn’t going to be a full-time thing for Pride. We’re not taking this weekend going forward now. We had kinda talked about trying it in July and this seemed like the time to do it. We had this opportunity,” she said.
Like most summer events that involve crowds or large groups of people, Flin Flon Pride had to alter its programming last summer, but did not outright cancel the celebration. The group held a socially distanced flag raising at Flin Flon City Hall and held a small Pride march, rather than a big Pride parade, through east Flin Flon. The Pride committee also held outdoor family events and their second annual Drag Queen Mermaid pageant, using local drag competitors.
This year’s main event involves a collaboration with the Saskatoon-based YXE Drag Collective to hold a drag event, larger in scope than the existing Drag Queen Mermaid events organized by Flin Flon Pride the last two summers. The event, according to Oulette, would be held outside in Creighton, likely near the Creighton Sportex - pending COVID-19 and related restrictions - and could feature an outdoor beer garden instead of the Unwinder.
“I'm pretty sure it's likely. Unless something happens where you can't have outdoor gatherings in Saskatchewan and between now and then - I’d say it’s about a 90 per cent chance,” Oulette said.
This year’s Pride, regardless of COVID-19 effects, will likely be smaller than those in the past. That, Oulette said, is by design, saying that this year’s Pride will be intentionally dialed back.
“We're going to make it a little smaller this year, because I think we've been biting off more than we can chew in previous years. Like ‘Okay, we're gonna have these 12 events and this,’ it's just a lot of work for us. Now we’re thinking, ‘You know what? Let's just do less events, but make them bigger?” she said.
