Parq Vancouver is pulling out all the stops as Official Sponsor Partner of the Vancouver Pride Society (VPS) Pride Festival and helping locals and visitors let their Pride flags fly with a series of special events throughout July and August at the downtown casino, entertainment and accommodation hub (39 Smithe Street).
Parq offers Pride-goers a prime spot to celebrate this year, as the Pride Parade on Sunday, August 6adopts a new, more accessible route that will wind along Pacific Boulevard and end at Parq. A new Pride Festival site will also be located directly across from the hotel and casino for the duration of the weekend.
Parq, which will also show its pride by entering a float into the annual parade, will act as the point of Pride by presenting Pride-themed and -supportive programming throughout July and August including:
THE THIRD ANNUAL POSH BALL
Friday, July 28
Parq, the VPS and the Van Vogue Jam Society will officially kick Pride Week off with a flourish as Parq’s 30,000-sq.-ft rooftop oasis gets transformed into the most exclusive dance floor in the city and trailblazing queens take the stage during The 3rd Annual Posh Ball on Friday, July 28.
Tickets to the 19+ event are $20 for general admission to either the ball (5 to 11 p.m.) or the after party at D/6 Bar & Lounge from 11 p.m. to 3 a.m., or $60 for VIP entrance to the ball and after party, with check in beginning at 5 p.m. at the DOUGLAS entrance of Parq Vancouver (55 Smithe St.). Tickets to the event available here.
PRIDE FOOD AND DRINK FEATURES
Visitors can have their Pride cake and eat it, too — by ordering a slice of Parq’s back-by-popular-demand Rainbow Pride Cake for $14, available at the Parq’s Honey Salt, The Victor, BC Kitchenand D/6 restaurants now until August 7.
From July 15 to August 15, two thirst-quenching cocktails will also steal the spotlight at a variety of Parq venues: The Rainbow-Rita Cocktail (1800 coconut tequila, blue Curaçao, simple syrup, lime juice, served over ice) will be available for $17 each at the casino’s Centre Bar and Lotus Bar, whileThe Victor, Honey Salt, BC Kitchen and D/6 will conjure up the spirit of the Vancouver Pride Week motto by shaking up ‘Let’s Reconnect’ cocktails (Teremana blanco tequila, Cointreau, lime juice, agave) for $15 each. A dollar from each feature libation sold from July 15 to August 15 will be donated directly to the VPS.
DRAG QUEEN SLOT TOURNAMENT
Thursday, August 3
A fierce amount of free play prizes in a $1,000 prize pool await one hundred lucky people who will try not to jinx the one-armed jacks during a Drag Queen Slot Tournament on Thursday, August 3 from 7 to 9 p.m.
DRAG DELIVERY DAY
Friday, August 4
Hang out on Level 2 from 5 to 6 p.m. to meet some of the drag queens who will strut their stuff at the Pride Weekend events and win free swag!
DRAG BRUNCH, VIP PATIO PACKAGES AT HONEY SALT
Sunday, August 6
Honey Salt will welcome Gia Metric for a Run of Show Drag Brunch after the Pride Parade on Sunday, August 6 from 2:30 to 6 p.m. with performances from drag queens and special ticket packages for four guests that offer prime patio seating.
The VIP package ($150 per guest plus tax and gratuity) includes a ticket to the drag brunch, a front-row seat at a table on the patio, a bottle of Mionetto Prosecco for two, choice of entrée from the Parade Day menu, a welcome cocktail and a slice of Parq’s Rainbow Pride Cake.
A regular package is also available that includes a ticket to the drag brunch, welcome cocktail, choice of entrée and slice of Pride cake for $75 per person plus tax and gratuity. Tickets are available by emailing hsbookings@parqvancouver.com or honeysalt@parqvancouver.com.
The Drag Brunch menu entrées include Eggs Benedict, Lobster Benedict, Chicken & Waffles, Avocado Toast, Biloxi Chicken Sandwich, Backyard Brunch Burger, Poke Bowl and Buttermilk or Sweet Potato Pancakes.
“It’s a point of Pride for us to show our true colours and support for the community and welcome back one of Vancouver’s most vibrant events,” says Parq Vancouver VP of Marketing Karen Gray. “Since opening in 2017, we have been proud to support more than 50 local charities and organizations that work toward fostering a sense of community and connection in Vancouver. We share their love of this city, its people, and its culture, which is why we are proud to support initiatives like the VPS.”
Parq will also be raising and donating funds to three other Vancouver-based non-profits that provide essential programs for 2SLGBTQIA+ communities: the Dr. Peter Centre, which offers food, therapies and clinical support to those living with complex medical and social needs; A Loving Spoonful, a volunteer-driven enterprise serving free, nutritious meals to people living with HIV and co-existing illnesses; and Rainbow Refugee, which promotes safe, equitable migration and communities of belonging for people fleeing persecution based on their sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or HIV status.
“We’re so excited about our partnership with Parq and the holistic offerings this collaboration will help provide to the 2SLGBTQAI+ community,” says Vancouver Pride Society Co-Executive Chair Allison Dunne. “We can’t wait to see the positive changes that this year’s Pride celebrations and partnership with Parq will add to this event and the community at large.”
In addition to offering world-class casino gaming, Parq Vancouver is home to two luxury hotel properties — JW Marriott Parq Vancouver and the DOUGLAS, Autograph Collection — as well as the Spa by JW Vancouver and numerous restaurants and amenities. To celebrate love and honour 18 years of marriage equality in Canada, the DOUGLAS, Autograph Collection, is offering the Love is Love Package — valid for stays until August 31, 2023. Guests will receive Pride swag for two, a chef-curated chocolate bar, and two glasses of sparkling rosé when booking with a promotional code. Stays at the DOUGLAS, Autograph Collection provide direct access to Parq Vancouver resort amenities, including seven restaurants and lounges, the rooftop Veuve Clicquot Aqua Lounge on the wellness floor, a 24-hour fitness studio, and elevated gaming.
For more information about Pride at Parq Vancouver, please visit: https://www.parqvancouver.com/offers/pride/
