“It is not ’us’ and ‘them’ anymore,” said Krista Snow, the volunteer chair of Halifax Pride and former Halifax City Council member. “We have gone from a completely ‘gay event’ to a celebration for the entire Halifax community.”

An estimated 100,000 people attended yesterday’s Pride parade. With record participation by community organizations as well as national sponsors such as TD Bank, it took nearly three hours for the dozens of floats and contingents to weave their way through the streets of the historic maritime city.

The parade was just one of the activities that were part of this year’s 25th anniversary celebration, which kicked off last Friday, July 20.

Among the many Pride events were a theater festival, a softball tournament (including an unofficial ‘Dykes vs Divas’ game), a Rainbow Flag raising at Halifax City Hall, a Song Writer’s Circle, a harbor cruises, and multiple dance parties.

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Following the Parade was the annual festival on the Garrison Grounds located at the base of the Citadel. Hosted by local drag celebrity Rouge Fatale, the festival’s headliners included U.S. female rapper Young Kaii, Toronto singer Kevin Wong and Halifax-based band The Mellotones.

In recognition of the silver anniversary, the festival included for the first time a special fireworks display.

Unfortunately, this year’s Pride took on special meaning following the tragic murder of Halifax gay-activist and long-time Pride volunteer Raymond Taavel. While his death in April has not been officially classified as a hate crime, it gave extra meaning

This article originally appeared on: http://www.examiner.com/article/halifax-rallies-to-support-gay-pride-celebration