Thousands participate in biggest Winnipeg Pride parade yet

There was a sea of every colour of the rainbow as thousands joyfully moved through the streets of downtown Winnipeg Sunday afternoon for the annual Pride Parade. 

The parade began at 11 a.m., and travelled down Portage Avenue before ending near The Forks later in the afternoon. 

"It's a party of community of people who you just get along with and understand you on a fundamental level, but also just on the surface," said Yuna Park, who attended their first Pride parade Sunday. 

Park said they were happy to show up and be proud during the event.

"I think identity is such a big part of people," said Park. "I think our sexuality and how we present ourselves and just masculinity [and] femininity is so important to one's identity." 

Meanwhile, Barry Karlenzig, president of Pride Winnipeg, said it was the biggest parade the organization has had. There were over 6,000 people in the parade itself, he said. 

"The turnout really was the biggest piece," he said. "We had an amazing turnout."

WATCH | 'Amazing turnout' for largest parade to date, Winnipeg Pride organizers say:

Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew echoed that sentiment, and elaborated on Pride Winnipeg's 2024 theme: Transcend Together.

"The message this year about transcend, and support trans people, to see the largest turnout ever around that theme, I think it's super, super important that people are coming together to support trans people, but also the broader Pride movement." 

A blockade of protesters halted Sunday's parade on Portage Avenue near Fort Street for a short time.

A statement handed out by the protesters said the group is demanding Pride Winnipeg "end complicity with genocide, divest from corporate pinkwashing, remove police from Pride and centre QTBIPOC leadership." 

The statement said Pride has "strayed from its revolutionary roots, so far that today we protest Pride itself and hold accountable those who claim to represent us." 

"We stopped the parade for 45 minutes and listed demands to Pride Winnipeg because Pride Winnipeg has not listened to community concerns for a number of years," said Chantale Garand, a spokesperson for the group.