It always impresses me what Jasper Pride is able to pull off every year; this year was no different. I arrived on Thursday afternoon using a shuttle service from Calgary. Rob and Justin could not leave on Thursday, so they headed out at 4am Friday morning to make it in time for the Ice Canyon Walk. Justin, who is 28, had not really gone out to gay bars. This was first time to a gay pride in his life, so he was extremely excited to attend events and check the town of Jasper out. It was refreshing to see something Rob and I have attended for a number of years through a fresh set of eyes.

While Rob and Justin were tackling Ice Canyon, I got an amazing tour of the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge, who had arranged jaw-dropping accommodations for the three of us for the weekend. The weather was great. The snow was mostly melted around the townsite, but the slopes still had perfect skiing conditions; Rob did get some snowboarding done on Saturday. The dance, which was also at Jasper Park Lodge, had about 750 people in attendance, which was 100 more than last year. Jasper Pride is definitely showing that they are still growing in attendance year after year.

This Pride, a new event was added: LumBEARjack Party, at the Whistle Stop Pub, was a complete success. In conjunction with the Fab Albearta Bear group, the event was extremely well attended and looks like it will be a yearly addition. Even with the expanded amount of events Jasper hosted this year, most of the events were either sold out or very well attended.

The other cool thing is that as you are walking throughout Jasper, you find that many businesses are creating products for Pride: Jasper Pride Coffee, Beer, Fudge and more; plus participation with 20 businesses who have brandished their front windows with rainbows. The main road in Jasper, Connaught Ave, had 83 rainbow banners hanging too.

You also feel part of a family, where your mom keeps telling you to eat. Every day there is an invitation to eat food at an event during Jasper Pride. I have never seen any Pride organization that has consistently figured out how to make sure people are fed and food keeps coming, never running out. This is definitely a good thing since, when you are running around to so many different places throughout the day to participate in activities, you sometimes forget to eat. There have been Pride weekends where Rob has actually needed to remind me to eat something after realizing I had not had anything to eat all day and it was 2am. At least I have some ‘body reserves’ in place to keep me going for a while, as long as I have water to drink. It also helps showcase what Jasper Pride partners have to offer for food through the year. Check out the photos at http://www.gaycalgary.com/pa1128.

Apollo Western Cup

This year, Apollo Western Cup had a new host hotel: the Hyatt in downtown Calgary. The venue change was a great test run for them. With the 35^th Anniversary of Apollo Western Cup to happen in 2017, they were able to test out new high-end lighting and sound system for the dance, which looked great! The attendance was a little down due to another major volleyball tournament on the same weekend happening in Vancouver, and also the last minute cancellation of dodgeball. But plans are in the works to include additional sports for 2017. Even though numbers were down, you really did not notice it, and the larger venue will be able to easily handle the additional participants next year. Check out the photos at http://www.gaycalgary.com/pa1129

Alberta’s Next Drag Superstar

Alberta’s Next Drag Superstar finale is happening at Evolution Nightclub on April 15th. Talent queens from Calgary and Edmonton have competed in events over the last couple of months, so you will see the best of the best performing, with guest Jackie Beat. Who will be crowned Alberta’s Next Drag Superstar? Every year, the drag queens competing work on out-doing each other in their performances, and they put out some really amazing outfits and chorography. If you want to see some of the best queens perform all in one night, this will be the event to see it at.

Opening of Backwards

I know it starts sounding like a broken record, but they are opening; it has just been delayed some more. Backwards has been posting photos so that people can see that progress that has been made; they are just constantly running into issues outside of their control. So the next time someone complains ‘why doesn’t someone open up a gay bar’, you can see that it is not easy.

Comic Expo

At end of April is the Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo, which runs from Thursday April 28th to Sunday May 1st. This is the biggest event that GayCalgary sponsors. They have over 100,000 people in attendance and it is the second largest Comic Expo in Canada after Toronto. The event fills the buildings on the Stampede Grounds beyond even what the Calgary Stampede does every year (other than when there is a downpour and people outside are looking for shelter). The parade is the third largest parade in Calgary too, just after the Stampede Parade and the Calgary Pride Parade.

GayCalgary has been a proud Media Partner and a Sponsor since 2008. The Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo has been an amazing experience for us, and the crowds have been really friendly towards the LGBTQ Community. With people attending the Expo dressing up in cosplay, it feels like Halloween comes twice a year. They do have an amazing 'Expo Equality Policy" in place, which makes sure that all in attendance are respected. The policy includes sexual harassment, bullying, consent, abuse and more. Sexual orientation and gender identity is actually included in the policy, which shows how serious they are in ensuring everyone is in a safe environment.

If you are attending, look for the GayCalgary logo, which will be hanging above one of the rows along with other sponsor logos. Take photos of it in the background, with you in the foreground, and post it to social media. Include @calgaryexpo and @gaycalgary for Twitter and Instagram!