An estimated 600,000 spectators flooded into Vancouver's downtown core on Sunday, where the rainbow flag was flying high for the 27th annual Pride Parade.
The 20-block parade, which began at noon at the corner of Robson and Thurlow streets, featured extravagant floats, skimpy costumes, community groups and politicians of all stripes.
The crowd was packed with smiling faces, including many who brought their children to cheer on the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community. "I wanted to bring the kids down and let them take a look at how other people live, and practice some tolerance," Lee Bulloch said.
The colourful celebration, which began in the 1970s as a peaceful protest march, has grown into a hotly-anticipated event that draws visitors from across Canada and the U.S. – and organizers say this year's parade was the biggest yet.
It was also missing a familiar face. Several participants carried signs commemorating Catherine White Holman, a well-respected counsellor and a founding member of Vancouver's Three Bridges Clinic.
She died in a plane crash last November off Saturna Island.
"Catherine did a lot of work for [transgendered] people and queer people, for poor people," friend Marria Townsend said.
"She was fighting for many, many years improving the conditions for those people. She was a role model. She was a mentor for me. I loved her very much."
This year, the parade introduced the Reflection Float, which replaced the moment of silence from previous years as a tribute to the past and current struggles of the LGBT community in Canada and abroad.
Linda Jones, who marches every year with wife Eve Abrams, says the outpouring of support and enthusiasm at the parade makes those struggles feel slightly more surmountable.
"It's really affirming," she said. "It makes us hopeful for countries that don't support [gay marriage] yet."
With a report from CTV British Columbia's Leah Hendry
