Your 2026 Pride guide for central Vancouver Island

**Photo by Mick Sweetman/The Discourse.**

Welcome to the 2025 Pride Guide! Is there anything you’d like us to add? Are there any stories you’d like us to tell? Send us an email to shalu@thediscourse.ca and let us know!

It’s Pride season again! The Discourse Cowichan, Nanaimo and Comox Valley have joined forces to put together a Pride Guide for our communities. Below you’ll find local events as well as resources, organizations and relevant reporting that we’ve done over the years.

We’ll continue to add to this as things come up, so keep an eye on this page and please reach out to our team if we’ve missed something!

And, as a heads up, The Discourse team will have a table set up at the Cowichan Pride Festival on June 21. Come say hello!

Cowichan events

June 2 to 16: Pride Exhibition opens at the Cowichan Valley Arts Council Annex in the Cowichan Community Centre.
Sunday, June 7, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.: Ladysmith Pride Celebration takes over downtown Ladysmith with food, music, local crafts and more.
Sunday, June 7, 2 to 5 p.m.: Free Rainbow Authors Fair at the Vancouver Island Regional Library featuring Malcolm Crockett, Hayden Stone and Joanna Phipps.
Tuesday, June 9, 5 to 7 p.m.: Drop in at the VIRL Cowichan branch for a community building rainbow craft night.
Sunday, June 14, 4 to 5 p.m.: Head to the VIRL Cowichan branch for a screening of Animal Pride: Nature’s Coming Out Story.
Sunday, June 14, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.: Pack a lunch for the Teddy Bear Picnic at Centennial Park in Duncan.
Friday, June 19, 6:30 p.m.: DJ Krista Mac, DJ Daddy Liquid and Sovereign Ace play the Cosmic Love Dance at the Heritage Hall in the Cowichan Community Centre.
Saturday, June 20, 2 to 2:45 p.m.: Drag Story Time hosted by Persi Flage at the VIRL Cowichan Branch.
Sunday, June 21, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.: Cowichan Pride March and Festival begins with a march from Vancouver Island University Cowichan Campus to City Square in Duncan.
Thursday, June 25, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.: VIRL Cowichan hosts Queer Portals, a Pride Month reading with Zena Sharman and Neil Surkan.

Nanaimo events

Wednesday, June 3, 6 p.m.: Birding with Pride. Explore birding and biodiversity on a guided walk at Buttertubs Marsh for the 2SLGBTQQIA+ community and allies. Bring binoculars if you have them and dress for the weather. Tickets cost $5.
Friday, June 5, 6 p.m.: Devours and Wants plus Zoe The Strange at The Globe Live Studio. Tickets cost $15.
Friday, June 5, 6:30 p.m.: 2026 Youth Pride Prom for youth aged 13 to 18 in the Arbutus Room: Building 300, Vancouver Island University. Admission is free.
Friday, June 5, 7:30 p.m.: Salsa Dancing Nanaimo Presents: Rainbow Salsa Social (and lessons) at Pleasant Valley Social Centre. Tickets cost C$29.99
Saturday, June 6, 4 p.m.: The Nature of Us – TRAction (Kevin Jesuino) is an immersive sound installation that features voices from Nanaimo’s 2SLGBTQQIA+ community in Bowen Park.
Monday, June 8, 6 p.m.: Themed Trivia Night: HEATED RIVALRY Edition at The Queen’s at The Queen’s.
Tuesday, June 9, 5 p.m.: Nanaimo Pride Flag Raising at Nanaimo City Hall.
Wednesday, June 10, 7 p.m.: Rainbow Rave: Silent Disco at Colliery Dam Park. Tickets cost $20.
Thursday, June 11, 4 p.m.: Take time for art with your 2SLGBTQQIA+ community at Crafty Queers hosted by Nic Cooper at the Nanaimo Art Gallery. Entry by donation.
Thursday, June 11, 6:30 p.m.: Pride on the Mic at MGM Restaurant. Tickets are free.
Friday, June 12, 7 p.m.: Club Soda: Sober Pride Dance at the Nanaimo Museum. Tickets cost $25.
Saturday, June 13, 10 a.m.: Facilitated workshop with Kevin Jesuino for Tender City: The Slow Dance Project at the Nanaimo Art Gallery.
Saturday, June 13, 12:30 p.m.: Public activation of Tender City: The Slow Dance Project at Dallas Square Park.
Saturday, June 13, 7:30 p.m.: Annual Pride Dance. Get ready to dance your queer little heart out with “the funk, hip-hop party machine of Victoria,” The New Groovement, along with DJ Krista Mac and queen of characters, Mina Mercury, at the Vancouver Island Conference Centre. Tickets cost $35 in advance or $40 at the door.
Sunday, June 14, 10 a.m.: Pride Parade Drag Brunch at The Nanaimo Bar. Tickets cost $25 for indoor seating and $35 for patio seating.
Sunday, June 14, 11 a.m.: 2026 Nanaimo Pride Parade & Festival at Maffeo Sutton Park.
Thursday, June 25, 6 p.m.: Pride Film Screening and Clothing Swap: In The Closet by Ajahnis Charley at the Nanaimo Harbourfront Library.
Saturday, July 11, 5 p.m.: Reaching Out Assisting Refugees (ROAR) will celebrate 10 years of bringing LGBTQI+ refugees to safety with its Picnic en Blanc fundraising dinner at a private home in North Nanaimo. Tickets cost $75.

Gabriola Island events

Friday, June 12, 6:30 p.m.: Opening night for Living Out Loud: Queer Art on Gabriola at Nova Gallery. The exhibit will run until June 28.
Saturday, June 13, Noon: Pride Pet Parade. Meet next to Agi Hall to start and walk to the Nova Art Gallery.
Saturday, June 13, 2 p.m. to 10 p.m.: Gabriola Pride Festival at Ravenskill Orchards.
Saturday, June 13, 2 p.m. to 3 p.m.: (Y)Our Stage, (Y)Our Voice, (Y)Our Story open stage / open mic at Ravenskill Orchards.
Sunday, June 14: Volleyball tournament at Gabriola Sands Provincial Park (Twin Beaches).

Ladysmith event

Sunday, June 7, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.: Ladysmith Pride Celebration takes over downtown Ladysmith with food, music, local crafts and more.

Comox Valley events

Friday, Aug. 28, 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.: Pride Party with Queer as Funk, Mean Bikini and Devours in downtown Courtenay.
Saturday, Aug. 29: Pride in the Park in Lewis Park in Courtenay.

Resources for 2SLGBTQQIA+ and allies:

PFLAG Canada supports 2SLGBTQQIA+ people and their families with peer support, education and advocacy.
QCHAT is a peer support line and resource database for 2SLGBTQQIA+ youth in B.C. Text 250-800-9036 or call toll-free 1-855-956-1777.
QMUNITY is a Vancouver-based non-profit that works to improve the lives of queer, trans and Two-Spirit people.
Island Queers and Allies Who Care is a group of volunteers on Vancouver Island supporting local groups and projects that benefit the queer community through fundraising.
BIPOC Women’s Health Network provides an online list of transgender support resources.
Living OUT & Visibly Engaged is a collection of community resources for 2SLGBTQQIA+ people living in B.C.
Check Yourself is a sexual health checklist for “guys who have sex with guys, including guys who don’t identify as gay.”
Gukwa̱s sa Wagalus – Rainbow House provides transitional housing for 2SLGBTQQIA+ youth in the Comox Valley.
What’s on Queer BC is an online queer lifestyle magazine with a list of resources for the 2SLGBTQQIA+ community.
First Nations Health Authority Resource List for 2SLGBTQQIA+, with specific Vancouver Island resources.
Resources from the Province of B.C., including on accessing health care, changing I.D., housing, law and human rights, employment and more.
HIM: Health Initiative for Men aims to strengthen the health and well-being of GBQ Men and gender diverse people.

Local organizations and clubs

Pride Society of the Comox Valley
Nanaimo Pride Society
Gabriola Pride Society
Ladysmith Pride Society
PFLAG Cowichan Valley
PFLAG Nanaimo
Cowichan Valley Youth Services offers gender-affirming counseling services, access to gender affirming clothing and a wide range of 2SLBTQIA+ group programming & community events.
Gender Journeys and Transcend Nanaimo offer peer support groups for transgender, non-binary, two-spirit and gender diverse youth and adults.
Island Queers and Allies Who Care raises funds to help groups and projects that benefit local queer communities.
The Coast is Queer Nanaimo: A private Facebook group for queer events in the Harbour City.
The Queer Agenda was founded by a group of friends in Nanaimo to create more inclusive spaces and opportunities for our local 2SLGBTQQIA+ community and allies to meet, connect, build friendships and have some fun along the way.
Queer Centre Comox Valley is working to establish a central location for 2SLGBTQQIA+ resources, events, outreach and organization in the Comox Valley.
Queer Culture is a Comox Valley group dedicated to creating an inclusive space for queer individuals and allies.
Volunteer Nanaimo hosts a Queer Straight Alliance group for youth between the ages of 11 and 29.
Reaching Out Assisting Refugees is a volunteer organization based in Nanaimo that is dedicated to providing a safe haven to LGBTQIA+ refugees facing serious persecution.
Transcend is a peer support group for transgender, non-binary, Two-Spirit and gender diverse youth in Nanaimo.