Proudly supported by express! The Wellington International Pride Parade will ignite the capital city on the evening of Saturday 16 March 2019 – and everyone is welcome!
Now becoming a favourite fixture in the Wellington calendar, the theme for the 2019 parade is ‘Fire; ignite your passion for your community’.
Creative Director, Amanduh La Whore says “We are bringing a sophisticated showcase to the streets of Wellington CBD, with an emphasis on fun and inclusivity for our LGBTIQ+ communities, celebrating our partners and the community at large.”
On the main stage, the kaupapa will be brought to life with pre-parade entertainment from Orchestra Wellington, Royal NZ Ballet, Te Auaha NZ Institute of Creativity and local and international drag performers. An official opening and ribbon cutting ceremony will then be lead by invited dignitaries including Wellington Central MP Grant Robertson and Mayor Justin Lester,
Starting at 6 pm on Tennyson Street, the parade entrants will be greeted by some of Wellington’s finest drag queens from a pop-up stage on the corner of Courtenay Place and Cambridge Terrace. They then make their way down Wellington’s Courtenay Place, before turning into Taranaki St to the waterfront, where a big screen will stream live coverage of the parade, hosted by roving reporters.
Spectators can line the streets and join in the celebrations with the parade participants, consisting of a diverse range of walking groups and floats marching, all celebrating inclusion and diversity.
The crowd can then follow the parade to the waterfront where a DJ will keep the party going into the early evening.
Wellington City Council Mayor Justin Lester says “We are working to make Wellington one of the most liveable and inclusive cities on the planet for everyone.
“The Wellington International Pride Parade is amazing for its colour and vibrancy and is a sophisticated showcase of the Pride community and a celebration of the city’s diversity and talent.”
Hon Grant Robertson, MP for Wellington Central agrees. “The Pride Parade is always a great event on the Wellington calendar. It’s a chance for our city to show off our celebration of inclusion and diversity, and for the Rainbow community to be loud and proud of who we are. I can’t wait for 2019’s instalment!”
For those who can’t make it to Wellington, the action will be broadcast live on WIPP’s Facebook page: facebook.com/wippnz/
A “Paint the Town Rainbow” window dressing competition will have shops, bars restaurants, and business establishments along the parade route decorate their frontages to celebrate pride in the weeks leading up to the parade. A generous prize of a weekend at Peppers Parehua in Martinborough and the use of a luxury vehicle to get the winner there is provided by major sponsor Armstrong Prestige Wellington.
The Wellington International Pride Parade is part of Wellington’s Pride Festival Tū whakahīhī e Te Whanganui-ā-Tara which runs from 8 to 24 March 2019, and also coincides with Out in the Park and the capital’s hosting of the 2019 International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA) World Conference. It’s set to be one big gay weekend in our creative capital city!
For more info visit wellingtonpridefestival.org.nz or wellington2019.nz to learn more about the ILGA World Conference.
