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Vancouver city councillors voted to approve $75,000 in one-time funding to support the 2026 Pride parade in the city on Wednesday — with the Vancouver Pride Society being the latest community festival organizer to report facing tough economic headwinds.
The parade that celebrates the city’s 2SLGBTQ+ community is scheduled for Aug. 2, but organizers told city council on Wednesday that a number of companies were reducing sponsorships and funding, amid a pushback on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies.
Community festival organizers across the city have reported that sponsorship dollars are drying up, even as the cost of putting on events has increased, with the city having to approve funds on a number of occasions this year to keep celebrations going.
Coun. Rebecca Bligh, who proposed the funding in a motion on Wednesday, said the upcoming FIFA World Cup has also meant festivals are competing for sponsorship dollars and space.
Coun. Rebecca Bligh said that numerous community festivals had requested city funding this year, reflecting broader struggles with sponsorships and costs. (Ben Nelms/CBC)
“Those [funding] requests highlight a broader reality that many of Vancouver’s signature annual events are confronting increasing costs and growing uncertainty around sponsorship and revenue generation,” she told council.
Earlier this year, council approved $30,000 in funds to keep Car Free Days events alive, and they also approved a $2-million fireworks event to replace the cancelled Celebration of Light.
The Italian Day on The Drive street festival also received $60,000 in one-time funds last month.
In the case of the Vancouver Pride Society, organizers had cited funding struggles in 2025 too, saying half of its corporate sponsors had pulled out at the time amid the DEI backlash.
Stephen Menon, a member of the City of Vancouver’s 2SLGBTQ+ advisory committee, told council on Wednesday that the Vancouver Pride Parade generated more than $30 million in economic impact for the city.
“Beyond the money that Vancouver Pride provides to the city, it also is a marquee event to really showcase our inclusion as a city,” he argued.
WATCH | Budget cuts mean 2025 Vancouver Pride parade was smaller:
Vancouver’s 2025 Pride parade smaller due to budget cuts
Thousands marched in Vancouver’s Pride parade on Sunday, celebrating diversity and inclusion. But as Michelle Gomez reports, the event looked different this year.
Bligh’s motion to approve the one-time city funding for the Pride Society passed unanimously.
Her motion notes that a number of other festivals — such as the city’s Vaisakhi and Lunar New Year parades — also received one-time funding this year.
City staff are expected to report back to council later this year on creating a festival support fund that would address the long-term sustainability of large events in the city.
WATCH | Pride organizer says federal funds needed:
Vancouver Pride organizer says federal funding needed to keep festivals going
Canadian Pride festivals are seeking $3 million annually from Ottawa over the next three years to cover a financial gap left by corporations pulling back funding. Vancouver Pride Society’s Joseph Hoang said the festivals are more important than ever given changing attitudes towards the 2SLGBTQ+ community in countries around the world.