Calgary Pride raised its flag to start the annual week’s festivities, which will continue despite financial and political disruptions.
The non-profit organization marked the beginning of Pride Week, happening from Aug. 31 to Sept. 6, on Monday morning with its annual flag-raising ceremony at The Confluence Historic Site and Parkland.
Local Indigenous leaders and elders held a private prayer ceremony before 11 a.m., and soon after, welcomed the flag-raising with two drum songs. Since 2021, Calgary Pride has been involving members of several Treaty 7 First Nations to recognize Awoowakii.
Meaning two-spirit person in Blackfoot, the term has become intertwined with the organization’s proceedings as a way to acknowledge both the land and the people who call it home. Warren Winnipeg from Siksika Nation said that their being invited is an effort toward decolonization.
“Back in history, we learned that through colonization, what occurred is that our two-spirit people went underground, and we’re reviving that back through culture,” he said.
“We have a sacred role, and that role is to educate and bring awareness to our communities that we are an important part of society.”
Winnipeg said this will be done by hosting ceremonies and teaching community members to make items such as drums and rattles. This will make up the Indigenous portion of Calgary Pride, which has been divided into sections for the first time this year.
Board member Nazer Louden-Khan explained that for the 2026 event, the organization has decided to host programming across the city rather than centralizing the festival at Prince’s Island Park as in previous years.
Expanding programming amid funding uncertainty
Louden-Khan said that the decision to shift away from one primary location was informed by the new challenges that the organization is facing, including funding and the rising hate toward the queer community.
Nevertheless, he emphasized that the need for connection is more important now than ever, and that this has inspired this year’s Pride Week to look like events — “threads” — taking place at a variety of venues, each contributing to a broader “tapestry.”
“By reintegrating into the community, by spreading Pride out from one centralized location, from this idea of ‘hey, it’s just a party that people (come) to,’” said Louden-Khan.
“Into this idea of we’re here to build community, we’re here to support each other, and we’re here to support different aspects of different communities, I think it just helps to go forward in speaking to what Pride is truly about.”
The parade will still walk down 9 Avenue SW on Sunday, Sept. 6, and adult-only drag shows will once again be held on Saturday, Sept. 5, at Prince’s Island Park. Aside from these, attendees are invited to a Queer Arts Market at the BMO Centre and to other events.
Calgary Pride announced its financial challenges in a media release issued on Aug. 21, asking for $250,000 in donations from community members to help fund the 2026 event, citing significant funding losses amid an increasingly competitive landscape.
Complications with the organization’s funding began last summer, following a drop of more than $300,000 in sponsorships and grants. In August 2025, the non-profit boiled this down to the consequence of cross-border politics bringing economic uncertainty.
On Aug. 29, Ward 14 Coun. Landon Johnston posted a poll on X asking users whether the city should continue raising a Pride flag on the courtesy pole outside city hall, which received an overwhelming 81 per cent of votes against, out of 185 responses.
Louden-Khan said that as mindsets like this continue to grow and funding becomes scarce, Pride could look different in the future. However, he clarified that the queer community is thriving, and that the event will never cease to exist, just downsize as needed.
“Calgary Pride is not the only Pride struggling with funds,” he said.
“But something that we want to do is integrate into the community and stand out and say that we are for the people.”
