Chris Cochrane hasn’t seen a Halifax Pride parade in 14 years.
“I’m in it, so I don’t see it,” Cochrane said during a phone interview.
Well, in 2019, problem solved. An advocate and entertainer in Halifax’s 2SLGBTQ+ community, Cochrane is the prominent drag performer Elle Noir and will be the parade marshal Saturday.
“This year, I’ll be at the front of the parade, so what I’m going to do is, after I’m done, I’m just going to park myself at Sackville Street and sit there and actually watch the parade for the first time.”
While the parade is the showcase event of the Halifax Pride Festival, Cochrane will be kept busy for days.
“I’m the Pride ambassador, but I’m also one of the main entertainers, and I’m also a public speaker and educator. In the first 72 hours of Pride, I have 12 events.”
The Halifax Pride Festival runs July 18-28. Music, movies, meetings and more are part of the full schedule.
Things officially get underway Thursday at 5 p.m. at the Grand Parade Square with the reading of the Halifax Pride Festival proclamation by Mayor Mike Savage and the raising of the Rainbow Flag, with greetings from Cochrane. Afterward, a section of Argyle Street will be cordoned off for a block party.
For a laugh, the Halifax Pride Comedy Night will feature standup and storytelling at the Spatz Theatre for an 8 p.m. show Thursday.
Friday at 9 p.m., FIN Outdoor presents a screening of the cult classic Rocky Horror Picture Show in the Public Gardens. (Check to see if you’re allowed to do the Time Warp on the grass.)
Inarguably, the biggest and most public event is the parade this Saturday through the downtown core. If past years are anything to go by, anybody near the Barrington Street-Spring Garden Road-South Park Street core route will not be able to miss it.
The parade has an official start time of 1 p.m., leaving from the waterfront staging area, and it takes at least a couple of hours to see the whole thing.
Originally from Glace Bay, Cochrane recalled her initial memory of the Halifax parade.
“It was 2005, when I first was here in Halifax, and I was in the navy at that time.
“It was a party and it was a fun time. . . . The next year, I was in it.”
The growth in the crowd-pleasing popularity of the summer event has been “amazing,” said Cochrane.
“As soon as we leave Rainbow Gate, it’s just five people deep, non-stop the whole way. You have to keep smiling and keep cheering, which is great, but it’s exhausting.”
Calmer happenings include a speakers series. Musician Jeremy Dutcher will discuss Indigenous and Two-Spirit Excellence with former Halifax poet laureate Rebecca Thomas on Monday, July 22, at 7 p.m. at the Halifax Central Library.
That night at 9 p.m., a candlelight vigil and the official dedication of Raymond Taavel Park will take place at 1004 Barrington St.
Halifax live art company Heist presents its 12th annual tribute concert during Pride on July 22 at 8 p.m. at the Seahorse Tavern. This version honours country icon Dolly Parton and features a lengthy roster of Halifax musicians, including Arsoniste, T. Thomason, Stewart Legere, Cassie Josephine and Daniel Walker of Owen Meany’s Batting Stance. Admission ($25) for the fundraiser for the company can be purchased at tickethalifax.com or at the door.
There is a special Symphony Nova Scotia show that coincides with Pride, too. The orchestra presents the return of Thorgy Thor, a violinist who appeared on RuPaul’s Drag Race, on July 24 at 7:30 p.m. in the Rebecca Cohn Auditorium. Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser conducts, with vocalists Karen Myatt and Julia MacVicar and oboist Suzanne Lemieux.
And the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 is celebrating Halifax Pride with three events.
The Sea Beyond Binary Celebration, in partnership with Pflag Halifax, is a free costume show for kids and teens Sunday, July 21, from 2-4 p.m. Participants can bring an ocean-themed costume or design one there. The event will be hosted by Elle Noir.
Swing OUT, in partnership with DalKing’s, on Wednesday, July 24, from 6:30-10 p.m., is a free chance for members of the 2SLGBTQ+ community and allies to learn swing dancing. No partner is needed to participate.
There will also be a 2SLGBTQ+ tour included with museum admission Sunday, July 28, from 2:30-3 p.m. of the temporary exhibition Family Bonds & Belonging, which “explores Canada’s history through the lens of 2SLGBTQ+ rights, experience and the evolving ideas about family that are reflected in policy, law and immigration,” according to a news release.
The festival comes to an official close with the annual Dykes vs. Divas softball game on July 28 from 2-4 p.m. at the Halifax Commons.
Events are listed in detail at halifaxpride.com.
