Empress 47 Misty Meadows | Photo by Chris Reed
By Kendell Yan
The 40th annual Vancouver Pride Week begins with Pride Premier, a 7-hour 360° party that circles the Vancouver Art Gallery on July 27th, and our Dogwood Monarchist Society Monarchs will be there royally hosting and judging a drag runway competition that you don’t want to miss.
The Dogwood Monarchist Society 2018 coronation
The Dogwood Monarchist Society (DMS) of Vancouver is a queer, charity based, and community driven organization that has all of the presentation and polished protocol of a formal monarchy. The DMS was founded in 1971 by ted northe, a pioneer in the gay rights movement, and each year newly elected officials run for positions within the court system at elaborate coronations. Today the DMS is running stronger than ever in its 47th iteration presided over by Empress 47 Misty Meadows and the very first gender non-binary regent Emprex Continental Breakfast.
Pride Premier, which is the glittering, outdoor kick-off party of Vancouver’s Pride season will feature large-scale and interactive art installations, a beer garden, a sober lounge, vendors, food trucks, and two live music and dance stages in šxʷƛ̓ənəq Xwtl’e7énk square by Public Disco, a queer pop-up style public space initiative that connects people through music and dancing.
If you want to keep riding the Pride train with our monarchs, here’s a few of the other spots you can catch them:
Late Night Snack: Pride presented by Vancouver Art and Leisure
August 3rd 9-11pm
Save on Meats Diner, 43 West Hastings
Hosted by PM and Continental Breakfast, this show promises hot food, cold drinks, and mouth watering drag performances that will leave you begging for second helpings. Guest performances by Misty Meadows, Shay Dior, Amy Grindhouse, and Arson Nicki.
Pride is for Everyone
August 3rd 10-4am
Open Studios, 252 E 1st #200
An Alternative Pride Festival staple and premiere event, Pride is for Everyone is a late-night dance party that preaches inclusivity and love of all bodies and all peoples on the dance floor. DJ sets, art installations, and beautiful drag hosts will keep you entertained all night long.
40th Annual Pride Parade
August 5th 12-3pm
A celebration. A protest. A party. A place to take up space. An opportunity to don our finest and shiniest. A chance to recognize how far we have come and reflect on where we need to go from here. Ask ten different people and you will receive ten different answers on what the Pride Parade means to them.
Moist Mondays: Pride Edition
August 6th 10-late
XY Night Club, 1216 Bute street
With a lot of laughs, not-so-serious art and sometimes… even a little glamour. This is the place to be on Monday nights; come on a drag journey far away from your Monday blues!
Kendell Yan is a queer, second-generation POC who navigates the hyphen of mixed ethnicity LGBTQ2+ living in Vancouver. Kendell has a penchant for drag Queens and Kings that borders on obsession, and he favours events that encourage free expression, inclusivity, and love in all flavours.
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