Speaker / Performer Submissions and Suggestions

The Halifax Pride Society is welcoming speaker/performer submissions and suggestions for consideration by the Programming Subcommittee. QBIPOC and trans speakers/performers will be prioritized. Submissions must be received by Monday, April 10th. Selected performers will be contacted by late April.

Events being programmed by the Halifax Pride Programming Subcommittee include but are not limited to:

  • Festival Mainstage
  • Outdoor Dances
  • Speakers Series
  • Comedy Shows
  • Live Music Shows

Please click on the links below to submit submissions or suggestions.

Speaker/ Performer Submission Form

Speaker/ Performer Suggestion Form

Halifax Pride Community Event Funding Program

The Halifax Pride Society values LGBT2Q+ community events that celebrate our history, build bridges between diverse populations, enrich quality of life for residents, and fosters community pride.

The Halifax Pride Society is eager to support those who wish to create and host LGBT2Q+ community events during the Halifax Pride Festival. The goal of this pilot program is to offer financial assistance to help community event ideas become a reality. Funds will be distributed in a way that ensures diverse communities and events receive the support they require. The average funding amount envisioned for this program ranges from $250 – $500, with a maximum of $1,000, supporting events that are:

  1. organized by a registered non-profit society, adhoc group, or individual;
  2. held within the geographical boundaries of the Halifax Regional Municipality;
  3. are organized primarily for the benefit of LGBT2Q+ community members;
  4. coincide with the Halifax Pride Festival.

While Halifax Pride hopes in the future to offer funding and application deadlines for events that fall outside the festival time-line, funds from this pilot program will be reserved for events taking place during the 2017 festival dates.

The Halifax Pride Society does not select or curate community events for inclusion in the Halifax Pride Festival. Individuals producing events for the LGBT2Q+ community during the festival are not required to apply to this program to be included in the festival guide. A separate call for event submissions for the Halifax Pride Guide will be announced in April 2017.

Program Outline

This program will provide financial support to events organized by non-profit societies, adhoc groups, or individuals that foster LGBT2Q+ community interaction, celebrate queer heritage, arts and culture, build bridges between diverse populations, and build community representation within the Halifax Pride Festival. To be eligible for funding, events must be publicly promoted and be held within the HRM. Both newly created and previously presented events at the Halifax Pride Festival will be eligible. 

Eligible Expenses

Funding may be applied to any event expenses with the exception of staff wages, volunteer bursaries or honoraria; or paid to members of an organization’s Board of Directors either directly or indirectly. Fees for performers not directly associated with the organization are eligible for funding.

Selection Process

Funding decisions will be made by a selection committee of community volunteers. 

In reviewing applications, the selection committee will prioritize:

  • Events organized by and/or focusing on QBIPOC and trans communities
  • Free public events
  • New events 
  • Events that account for mobility and accessibility concerns

Applications must be submitted online HERE.  Half the awarded funds will be sent following approval of the application, with the second half sent following receipt of an event report.

If you have questions/ comments on the Halifax Pride Community Event Funding Program, please contact:

Adam Reid

Executive Director

Halifax Pride Festival

adam@halifaxpride.com

Halifax Pride Launches Community Event Funding

Halifax, N.S. (K’jipuktuk) – The Halifax Pride Society has launched a new program to assist LGBT2Q+ event organizers fund their projects. Non-profit organizations, ad hoc groups, and individuals organizing events during the Halifax Pride Festival are encouraged to apply for financial support through the Halifax Pride Community Event Funding Program.

The Halifax Pride Community Event Funding Program aims to ease the financial burden of those hosting LGBT2Q+ community events and ensure the festival includes diverse community programming. Eligible events are to be:

  • organized by a registered non-profit organization, ad hoc group, or individual;
  • held within the geographical boundaries of the Halifax Regional Municipality;
  • organized primarily for the benefit of LGBT2Q+ community members;
  • scheduled to coincide with the Halifax Pride Festival.

Adam Reid, Halifax Pride executive director says, “Halifax Pride values LGBT2Q+ community events that celebrate queer heritage, allow for knowledge sharing, build community representation within the festival, and foster community pride.”

Average anticipated funding will range from $250 - $500, with a maximum of $1,000 for a single event. Funding decisions will be made by a selection committee of community volunteers. In reviewing applications, the selection committee will prioritize:

  • Events organized by and/or focusing on QBIPOC and trans communities
  • Free public events
  • New events 
  • Events that account for mobility and accessibility concerns

The Halifax Pride Society does not select or curate community events for inclusion in the Halifax Pride Festival. Individuals producing events for the LGBT2Q+ community during the festival are not required to apply to this program to be included in the festival guide. Application deadline for the Community Event Funding Program is April 7, 2017. 

About Halifax Pride

The Halifax Pride Festival will take place July 20-30, 2017. The annual parade will take place in the opening days of the festival, on Saturday, July 22. 2017 will mark Halifax Pride’s 30th festival. Halifax Pride is one of the premier Pride festivals in Canada.

- 30 -

Contact:   Nick Voutour (pronouns - he/him)

                   Media Liaison

                   nick@halifaxpride.com

 

Halifax Pride announces 2017 festival dates

Monday, March 6, 2017  

Halifax, N.S. (K’jipuktuk) – The 2017 Halifax Pride Festival will take place July 20-30, 2017. The annual parade will take place in the opening days of the festival, on Saturday, July 22. 

The festival dates were tentatively released for July 13-23. The new dates allow Halifax Pride to hold the parade on the first weekend of the festival without changing the parade date originally communicated. This will be the first time the Halifax Pride parade will be held on the first weekend of the festival.

“Moving the parade to the first weekend of the Halifax Pride Festival means our largest gathering leads the 11-day festival,” says Adam Reid, executive director of Halifax Pride. “Often at the parade, as the festival is nearing its end, we are asked, 'What’s next?' We want to ensure that the diverse activities celebrating our community, culture, and pride are well promoted and well attended. Now we’ll have the opportunity to tell our largest audience about the many events yet to come.”

The Halifax Pride Festival features more than 100 events each year organized by LGBT2Q+ community members. Events range from public lectures, comedy shows, vigils, sporting events, panel discussions, dance parties, drag shows, and more.

“We feel it’s important to emphasize there is more to the Halifax Pride Festival than the parade,” says Morgan Manzer, chair of Halifax Pride. “However, we know many people book vacation time for the parade date, which is one of the reasons it will still take place July 22.”

The parade route makes its way through downtown Halifax, Nova Scotia, ending next to Citadel Hill, at the Garrison Grounds where Halifax Pride offers its mainstage and festival site. Festival planning is underway and Halifax Pride will hold meetings this month to consult with community members and partner organizations on festival events. 

About Halifax Pride

2017 will mark Halifax Pride’s 30th festival. Halifax Pride is one of the premier Pride festivals in Canada.

- 30 -

Contact:   Nick Voutour (pronouns - he/him)

                   Media Liaison

                   nick@halifaxpride.com

Letter from the Board of Directors, Executive Director

As the new executive director, and on behalf of the of Halifax Pride board of directors, we want to acknowledge and apologize for the pain Halifax Pride has caused this community. The board regrets their actions and inactions leading up to and during the 2016 Annual General Meeting. Our decision-making process was flawed and allowed for a meeting full of racism, misogyny, and hate.

Halifax Pride failed to protect the community. The board holds no one but themselves responsible. We acknowledge that the boycott is a direct result of our failure. We are committed to working with the community to address the harm we caused and to learning from this experience.

We want to state the following:

  1. Halifax Pride did not provide a safe space to meet and discuss the issues impacting our community prior to or at the AGM.
  2. Halifax Pride will develop a formal Anti-Discrimination Policy with our community.
  3. Halifax Pride will review and revise Society membership criteria with our community.
  4. Halifax Pride commits new funding and resources for use by our QBIPOC and trans communities to develop events.

As individuals working on behalf of Halifax Pride and as concerned community members, we are committed to finding ways to begin healing and building a Festival and a Society of which we can all be proud.

Sincerely,

The Halifax Pride board of directors and executive director, Adam Reid