Vancouver Pride Parade will go ahead despite losing half its corporate sponsorship

British ColumbiaVancouver Pride organizers say a 50 per cent decrease in corporate sponsorships won’t stop the festivities.This year’s parade will be smaller and simpler as a result, say organizersLauren Vanderdeen · CBC News · Posted: Jul 11, 2025 2:15 AM EDT | Last Updated: 4 hours agoThe 2025 Pride Parade in Vancouver, B.C., will go on despite a significant decrease in corporate sponsorship. (Ervin Wong/CBC)Vancouver Pride Society’s flagship parade is scheduled to go ahead this August, despite losing about half of its corporate sponsors.Organizers say it’s due to a wave of social conservatism rolling through North America, particularly coming from the United States, as well as tough economic times.”We’ve seen a significant political push against LGBT issues and against [equity, diversity and inclusion],” said Morgane Oger, secretary for Vancouver Pride, told Stephen Quinn, host of CBC’s The Early Edition.”That stuff doesn’t happen without consequence.”Oger said this year’s Pride events will be a little bit smaller and simpler as a result of the lost sponsorship.”The economy is a little harder for corporations right now,” she added.”Sponsoring events might be something that they jettison in order to keep the business going.”Morgane Oger, secretary of Vancouver Pride Society, says the organization has lost 50 per cent of its corporate sponsors in the 2025 season. (CBC)One example of a corporate change is Lululemon, which has previously sponsored events hosted by Vancouver Pride Society, but has chosen not to sponsor it this year.”While we may not be directly sponsoring Vancouver Pride Society’s celebrations, we are committed to creating meaningful experiences that uplift the community in Vancouver and beyond,” the company said in an emailed statement.The company said it is instead supporting LGBTQ2IA+ events around the continent, focusing on trans-centred community spaces, offering free wellness events to celebrate Pride month, and organizing events led by local LGBTQ2IA+ fitness and wellness professionals.WATCH | Vancouver event organizers explain parade changes for Pride 2025: Vancouver Pride Parade going ahead despite financial strain, board confirmsFor the first time in years, Vancouver’s Pride Parade will be a shorter one. Organizers say the change isn’t just about logistics. As Maurice Katz reports, it comes amid a dip in sponsorship dollars. John Boychuk, co-chair of Vancouver Pride Society, said this year’s parade route has changed direction and been shortened considerably.The parade, he said, will now run from east to west and then end in Davie Village at Burrard Street.Boychuk said organizers heard feedback that last year’s route was “just far too long” for participants and attendees, who cited accessibility issues and concerns about heat exhaustion.”We’re trying to condense the parade itself, because people feel that two, three hours of standing along the sides hooting and hollering and supporting gets exhausting.”John Boychuk, co-chair of Vancouver Pride’s 2025 season, says he’s excited for the upcoming event. (GP Mendoza/CBC)Shortening the route also reduces costs, and Oger noted the event’s biggest expense is policing.While Boychuk agreed the “claw back” in sponsorships has been a challenge, he said it won’t dampen the spirits of this year’s events.”It’s a standout march. It is a cry out for human rights around the world. It represents the equality and the balance that is in this community and in this city.… That’s never going to stop.”The Vancouver Pride Parade will be held Sunday, Aug. 3, on the same day as the return of the Davie Village Pride Festival, coming back after a six-year hiatus from 2 to 10 p.m. along Davie Street from Burrard Street to Jervis Street.ABOUT THE AUTHORLauren Vanderdeen is a web writer for CBC British Columbia. She formerly worked for community newspapers, including the Burnaby Now and New West Record. You can reach her at lauren.vanderdeen@cbc.ca.With files from Maurice Katz and The Early Edition