Image: L. Gomes / PML / Chilliwack Pride Festival 2022.

By Laurice Gomes

Chilliwack Pride Festival

Chilliwack Pride Festival is bigger and prouder this year

Aug 21, 2022 | 5:00 PM

CHILLIWACK — It was a burst of colour in downtown Chilliwack, as people made their way to the Chilliwack Pride Festival on Sunday (Aug. 21).

Chilliwack Pride Society president, Teri Westerby, said the event has come a long way from 2019’s backyard barbeque event.

“We had the first Chilliwack Pride event in 2019—it was just supposed to be a little backyard barbeque,” Westerby explained. “We invited a lot of Chilliwack, and a lot of people came, and because of that, we founded the society together.”

The president expressed his delight in the growth of the event and its ability to create a safe space for an “open journey”.

Image: L. Gomes / PML / Teri Westerby (middle), president of the Chilliwack Pride Society, along with two friends.

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“Honestly, I have no words for it,” he said, beaming with pride. “I’m just so proud of our community and knowing that everyone here feels safe and comfortable to come out, to actually be visible, they can be courageous and take that step out today and feel proud of who they are in Chilliwack—that is just a monumental change from just years past.”

Westerby said last year’s event had 4,500 attendees, and this year the board is predicting anywhere between 8,000 and 10,000 people.

“We had a smaller scale version of this last year in the same place, but it didn’t have Wellington at all,” he explained. “Last year we had 14 vendors and four or five local service providers bringing activities. This year we have 45 vendors, 30 service providers, and on top of that, we have acrobats here. We got both—MLA Paddon and MLA Coulter here.”

Image: L. Gomes / PML / Chilliwack Pride Festival 2022.

Westerby is also running for Chilliwack school board trustee and said the community has been supportive of his journey to bring change.

“Many people understand the critical nature of this election, because we have a lot of progress that we are delayed in making because of some of the viewpoints of some people on the board right now,” he said. “So, a lot of people come up to me and they say, ‘I really hope you win. You have my support. I am so thankful for you running.’ And they understand the weight that it means for someone like me to step out, being trans, being visible in the community, because of the history of Chilliwack.”

To get involved in next year’s event, people can visit https://chilliwackpride.com/.

Image: L. Gomes / PML / Chilliwack Pride Festival 2022.

Image: L. Gomes / PML / Chilliwack Pride Festival 2022.

Image: L. Gomes / PML / Chilliwack Pride Festival 2022.

Image: L. Gomes / PML / Chilliwack Pride Festival 2022.