Keeping it moving with Halifax Pride 2025
Halifax Pride community dog walk
From its earliest incarnations, Pride in Halifax has been rooted in protest. While it remains grounded in the work toward liberation and acceptance for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, today’s Halifax Pride Festival is also a massive and incredibly diverse 11-day celebration.
“Pride continues to be a protest but in a very different way,” says Christine Ingham, partnership manager for Halifax Pride. “Being joyful and moving together and celebrating in the face of threats and hate – that in itself is a form of resistance and protest.”
Part of Halifax Pride’s commitment to the well-being of the community is the many active living initiatives it offers during the celebration.
“Protest on its own without self-care and community care is not going to get us very far,” Christine says. “You can’t pour from an empty cup. It’s really important that we take the time to show up for ourselves and for each other, to take up space with joy, and take the time to recharge and look after ourselves.”
New to the festival this year is the Fit Together series, four morning sessions held at the festival site on the Garrison Grounds. It includes yoga, dance fitness, boot camp and Pilates. All sessions are free and for all ages. American Sign Language interpretation is provided, and gender neutral washrooms are available on site.
“Our goal is to create opportunities for people to move in creative ways in a safe space,” explains Christine. “Anyone can come in with any experience level and any background, and we’re going to meet you where you are. You don’t have to bring anything with you but your good attitude, a willingness to learn and a bottle of water to stay hydrated.”
Organizers have provided safe, inclusive and accessible options for movement at various sites throughout the festival. The John W. Lindsay YMCA, for example, hosts aqua drag fitness, Zumba drag fitness, a family swim, an all-bodies swim and a learn-to-play session with Halifax Rainbow Dodgeball. There is even a chance to include beloved pups in the celebrations with the So Fetch! Dog Walk at Shubie Park, where rainbow attire is highly encouraged for dogs and humans alike.
“We wanted to provide a range of ways for people to move their bodies in the hopes of offering something for everyone,” says Christine. “Again, it’s bringing that queer joy and celebration aspect along with the movement.”
Halifax Pride provides funding for some community-led events, such as the Dancing with Pride series of ballroom, jazz and ballet classes at the Maritime Conservatory of Performing Arts, and promotes others on its festival calendar.
“We’re really excited to be able to promote the community-led events and celebrate all the different ways people want to show up for Pride.”
That includes the first-ever Bay Pride, which features a family-friendly trail walk and other wellness activities for communities around St. Margaret’s Bay.
“There are people in those more rural areas who are facing greater isolation and maybe less acceptance in their small communities, so we’re really grateful to have partners like Bay Pride and other rural Prides that are bringing the celebration beyond the city core,” Christine says. “Pride belongs everywhere!”
