Issue link: http://publications.winnipegfreepress.com/i/1468767
When the organizers of Pride Winnipeg were told that the second National Fierté Canada Pride Festival was going to be held in Winnipeg in May and June of 2020, they were ecstatic. Then, the COVID-19 pandemic put the festival on hold for two years. Now, with the National Fierté Canada Pride Festival officially on — it will be held from May 27 to June 5 — Pride Festival Winnipeg president Barry Karlenzig says all systems are go for the 2022 event. "Everyone is super excited," he says, noting that 2022 is also the 35th anniversary of the Pride Winnipeg Festival. "We're going to have 150 to 200 volunteers helping us put on the event, along with our operating team of 46. It's going to be the first outdoor festival in Canada since COVID, so there's going to be a really good turnout." Which is to say attendance numbers are expected to be exceptionally high. "With a normal Pride Festival, about 35,000 to 40,000 people would come out — our highest number was 42,500 in 2019," he says. "This year, we're expecting 80,000 to 90,000 people to attend." Not surprisingly — this being a national event — the festival's footprint is also going to be larger than normal for two reasons: health concerns and the fact that people from across Canada will be BARRY KARLENZIG, PRIDE WINNIPEG PRESIDENT Photo by Shandi Strong BY TODD LEWYS CONTINUED ON PAGE 4 ▼ AFTER TWO-YEAR HIATUS MAY 27 – JUNE 5 | 3 PRIDE