From July 27 to August 1, Yaletown and the West End will bloom with flower-bombed benches, rainbows, swings and selfie-frames in conjunction with the Vancouver Pride Festival. Fleurs de Villes’ famous floral mannequins will pay homage to Canada’s most famous drag artists, such as Jimbo, for this joyous week of celebration culminating with the Pride Parade on July 31.
As with all Fleurs de Villes events, local floral artists will come together to present a colourful, dynamic, and inclusive feast for the senses. Florists in Fleurs de Villes PRIDE include Adele Rae Florist, Avelyn Florist, Écorce Flowers, Elope With Us, Flower Factory, Get a Bouquet, Greenscape Design & Decor, J Events Planning and Design, Manites Flower Shop, Rex & Moss, ROA Events and Design, and Tila Flower Boutique.
The complete list of Fleurs de Villes PRIDE floral installations and events can be found here.
In solidarity with the Vancouver Pride Society, and with the support of the Yaletown BIA, the West End BIA, and The Cross home and decor store, Fleurs de Villes co-founder Karen Marshall says “We could not be more happy to be able to bring joy through flowers to this important celebration of Pride. We have always believed in inclusion which is why our floral events in Vancouver are free and open to all. Public celebrations such as this shed light on both the progress and the work there is still to do around inclusivity for the 2SLGBTQAI+ communities.”
“Yaletown has always been a diverse community. The first lesbian bar in Vancouver, The Quadra, was located in Yaletown and one of the longest operating gay bars, The Gandy Dancer, was located on Hamilton Street. The 11 installations in Yaletown acknowledge the diversity and the beauty of the Pride community,” says Executive Director of the Yaletown BIA, Annette O’Shea.
“We are thrilled to welcome back Pride celebrations in our community this summer, including the Parade, Sunset Beach Festival, and Davie Street activations. We’re equally as excited to newly partner with Fleurs de Villes to bring several incredible Pride-themed floral displays to Davie Village. The West End will be fun, festive, colourful and full of love to celebrate Pride week,” says Teri Smith, Executive Director of the West End BIA.
“This year’s Vancouver Pride Festival embodies Together Again,” says Vancouver Pride Society interim executive director, Lee Keple. “We are uplifting QTBIPOC organizations and racialized talent by giving them our largest stages. Join us in celebrating QTBIPOC voices through takeovers at various Pride Lounges, programming at the annual Vancouver Pride Parade, full curation of Sunset Beach Festival by Hotlatch, NormieCorp and RiceCake, and more co-presented events. We are excited to collaborate with WEBIA and Fleurs de Villes for the Windows of Pride honouring the home of our 2SLGBTQAI+ communities here in Vancouver.”
