Organizers of 15th annual Jasper Pride and Ski Festival proud of the inclusive spaces created 

More than 40 events are planned between April 12 and 21.

Local pride is flying high in anticipation of the annual Jasper Pride and Ski Festival. 

As it’s done for 15 years now, the festival is once again flaunting Jasper’s diverse and welcoming community.

“We’re making spaces where everyone can feel accepted and valued for who they are, said Pride Festival co-chair, Paul Gabrielson.

That’s not always the case for members of the LGBTQ2+ community. Research shows trans youth, for example, are more likely than their cisgender peers to attempt suicide.

“Alberta’s not always a great place for gender-diverse kids,” said Gabrielson, who grew up in Edmonton. “For them to be able to come to a place and truly feel welcome … it literally saves lives.”

Building on that idea is Jasper Pride’s focus on family-oriented events. Gearing activities and adventures to as wide of audience as possible helps crystallize the message that Pride is for everyone, Gabrielson said. 

Generally, that’s not always how Pride festivals are promoted.

“There is a bit of a reputation that all Prides are just one big party,” Gabrielson said. “But Jasper Pride [Festival], because of the number of events and activities, has so many different facets and covers a lot of people’s interests.”

Moreover, it helps bring visitors to town. Quantifying the exact number of hotel nights that Pride accounts for is tough, says Jasper Event Management’s Brett Newton, but the agreed upon figure is that Pride brings in somewhere between 1,200 and 1,500 unique visitors to the community and surrounding national park. 

“Pride gives people even more reasons to come to Jasper,” Gabrielson said.

Some of the marquee events in 2024 include April 12’s Family Pride Party; the two-spirit celebration and night of dancing, Sâkihitowin (“love one another,” in Cree) on April 13; and Proud Peaks: Pride at Marmot Basin on April 12.

And of course there will still be fabulous parties. Studio 24 at the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge is Jasper Pride’s signature event, and a star-studded list of performers is being announced  on the daily by organizers. The most recent reveal was Canada’s Drag Race Season 4 contestant, Edmonton’s own “gaysian sensation,” Melinda Verga.

Before he moved to Jasper and started volunteering with Jasper Pride, Gabrielson was a big fan of Jasper Pride. His first Jasper Pride and Ski Festival was in 2018. Five years later, the festival continues to surpass its benchmarks as a world-class celebration in a small, rural town, he said. 

“It continues to evolve, people and organizations continue to come on board,” Gabrielson said. 

But not everyone is evolving. The Jasper Pride and Ski Festival organizers are no strangers to online hate-speech, and have to monitor their social media constantly, regularly deleting homophobic and demonizing rhetoric targeting gay, queer and trans people. In the face of that bullying, Jasper has had Pride’s back, Gabrielson said.

“People have tried to come to our Facebook page and say terrible things, but Jasper residents don’t stand for it,” he said.

That support means a lot, organizers say. Jordan Tucker, who has been involved in every Pride since the festival’s inception, said on the whole, Jasper has always been there for the LGBTQ2+ community.

“From the get go we had community support,” he said. 

Tucker started out as a volunteer board member. But since 2016, his (100% gay-owned) company, Jasper Event Management, has helped take Pride to new heights. Now a 10-day celebration, it’s one of the renowned festivals not just in Jasper, but in Alberta. 

Recently, travel website Expedia listed Jasper as one of the 10 most exciting LGBTQ2 friendly cities in Canada. Victoria, B.C. was the next smallest centre on that list. Expedia called Jasper small but welcoming.

“A prime wedding destination for couples of all orientations, Jasper is also the best place to get away from the bustle of city life,” the website’s travel experts wrote.

Mayor Richard Ireland, who has helped hoist the rainbow flag to kick-off many Jasper Pride Festivals,  agrees.

“Jasper is a place where we are proud to welcome the world and we feel absolutely free to embrace every colour in the rainbow,” Ireland has said. 

So quench your thirst for diversity at the Jasper Brew Pub, where a special Pride Beer will debut once again. Or spice up your week at Su Casa Mexican restaurant, where the Pride burlesque show is set to sizzle. Learn from Cree-Metis Elder Richard Jenkins about what it means to be two-spirited when he joins Indigenous knowledge keeper Matricia Bauer for a fireside chat. Or cheer on Jasper’s Pride Award winners over a buffet brunch and caesar bar at Forest Park Hotel. 

Guided hikes, appetizer and wine pairings, drag queen BINGO, paint nights, comedy shows and more round out the full event schedule. While taking in the itinerary, Jasperites will notice some of their fellow community members not only attending the parties, but performing at them. From musicians to thespians, drag queens to Djs, Pride brings local artists out of the woodwork, Newton said.

“The queer talent pool in Jasper is amazingly robust,” he said. 

Just like the festival itself. The Jasper Pride and Ski Festival runs from April 12-21. 

Bob Covey // Bob@thejasperlocal.com

Want to show your Jasper Pride? Submit photos of your Jasper Pride and Ski Festival experience to The Jasper Local for publication in a post-festival wrap-up to info@thejasperlocal.com