Burnaby Pride Festival

Now in its sixth year, Burnaby’s Pride event celebrates the diversity of our local 2SLGBTQIA+ community and all those who support them!

Burnaby Pride will be returning to Civic Square on July 22, 2022, featuring a variety of live music, drag, circus art and more, along with educational booths and activities for the whole family!

Hosted by the talented

Featuring

Joanne Tsung

Joanne hails from the unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm, Skxwú7mesh, and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations. Fat, queer and tattooed, Joanne has found solace and community in writing comedy and has done stand up in Vancouver, Toronto and (virtually) in Manitoba.

Sasha Mark

Sasha Mark (he/him/they/them) is a Cree-Métis stand up comedian from Treaty 1 territory, but now is residing on so called “Vancouver”. He has done work with the Winnipeg Comedy Festival, OutTV, Just For Laughs Vancouver and is most known for their work on APTN. He is the host of the Sasha Ha Ha Show and also co hosts Camp! Comedy a comedy and drag cabaret show.

Edzi’u

Step into the lush and heart wrenching sounds of Edzi’u, an innovative sound and performance artist who paints stories of the past, present and future with textures, community voices and words, and her ethereal voice. Being rich in culture, full of passion and spirit, the power behind their use of sound goes deep within the listener, inspiring them to be bold and genuine, while living fully within their hearts. Edzi’u has a style and sound like no other, a quiet icon in the landscape of Indigenous music on Turtle Island.

Parlour Panther

Gritty guitar, immersive synths and howling vocals – Parlour Panther will devour you with their thunderously dark dream pop. Their anthemic dance hits have bold lyrics and captivating vocals. With influences like Jungle, St.Vincent and Sylvan Esso, this self-produced queer duo made their latest sophomore LP Retrograde in their at-home studio.

After its release on Coax Records in August ‘21, Retrograde was on !Earshot National Top 50 chart for 12 weeks, featured on CBC’s The Early Edition, and one of Dominionated Magazines Favourite Top Fifty releases of 2021. Retrograde is available on Vinyl, CD and all listening platforms. This boundary-pushing, binary-breaking duo is based on unceded Coast Salish Territory in Vancouver, Canada.

Mx. Bukuru

The name is Mx. Bukuru. That’s B-U-K-U-R-U and if you don’t know what it means honey, look it up. Mx. Is the church being your momma never wanted you to meet. They are the inaugural winner of Van Slam’s Drag Slam (2019) and runner up in the Eastside Drag Derby (2019). A member of ENBY 6 and Diasporic Dynasty, Mx. ascends colonial ideas of religion and will bring you to the sexiest church that ever did exist. They recently made their debut at Vancouver International Burlesque festival and can be found hosting all kinds of event around town. Their ass fat, their hips fatter, don’t fucking forget, BLACK LIVES MATTER!

Shyenne Pepper

Shyenne Pepper is a performer from Mumbai, India, who made her drag debut in 2018. She started off performing in Mumbai at stand-up comedy open-mics for straight audiences, often getting ready in auto rickshaws, local trains, and cafes, before transitioning to nightlife events as the drag scene developed in the city. Since then she has come into her own. A stand-up comic at heart, she toes the line between fashion and comedy, often failing at both… She made her Canadian debut in 2020 as a bedroom queen, but is now ready to strut her way into the hearts of all Canadians. She has made audiences laugh across the globe as a host and a comedienne, she’s a fashion mogul, she’s an icon, she is the moment, and she is just a little delusional. After all, she is the most beautiful woman in the world.”

AHSIA

Born in Philadelphia and raised in Vancouver with a Nigerian and Congolese background emerged the one and only, AHSIA (she/her). AHSIA discovered her passion for music at a very young age. She is now a recording artist, songwriter, poet, producer, and educator. Her musical styles include different flavours of R&B, Soul, Jazz, Afrobeat & Hip-Hop. From classrooms to stadiums, AHSIA has participated in a wide range of shows, such as anti-oppression and black empowerment movements and protests, LGBTQ events, fashion shows, festivals, and more. Get ready to embrace the
magic!

Anjalica Solomon

Anjalica Solomon is a genderfluid bird watcher, tree hugger, astrology boyfriend and expansive lover. A multidisciplinary artist born in Chandigarh India and raised on what is colonially known as “Vancouver, BC” on the stolen and unsurrendered territories of the Coast Salish, Squamish, Tsleil-Waututh and Musqueam Nations. They are a vocalist, songwriter, lyricist, loop pedalist, poet, playwright, actor, organiser and performer. They aim to make art that forges a path for queer, South Asian futuristism.In 2021 they toured a collaborative work of poetic-diasporic-dance theatre “Wings over Water” across the West Coast at Nanaimo and Vancouver Fringe. New music is on the way with their band Glow Motive, comprised of themselves and poly-queer partner Oceaan Pendharkar! Anjalica is currently working on their forthcoming collection of poetry with Write Bloody Publishing. Their debut full length collection will be available for purchase in the spring of 2023. Their poetic work often seeks to proclaim the possibilities of love and resilience. Anjalica is a poet of startling emotional intellect and candour whose work testifies to a deep faith in beauty, the power of nature, and ultimately, the human capacity to salvage integrity, radiance and joy from moments of struggle. In this way, Anjalica Solomon’s poems and performances offer robust visions of hope, tenacity, and love.
Find @Anjalicrush on Instagram to book them for your next event, learn more about upcoming poetry collections, short films, experimental fringe productions and upcoming poetry workshops and to be the first to know about their groovy forthcoming single “Speak Your Truth”

Chantal

Chantal (they/she/he) is an interdisciplinary movement artist, clown and musician with latinx and German roots. They hold a BFA degree in Acting from UBC. Chantal has worked in sound design and performance creation through The Centurions Project with Boca Del Lupo, The Shadbolt Centre for the Arts, and The Evergreen Cultural Centre. In the 2021 Nanaimo and Vancouver fringe festivals, they composed, co-wrote, and performed Wings Over Water: A Diasporic Bird Play, a sound, dance and ancestral incantation. In their 2021 Trout Lake movement series, they explored deep listening in outdoor spaces, biomimicry, and improvisational scores. In 2022, Chantal participated in choreographer Dana Gingras’ Creative Lab at Studio 303 in Montreal, researching movement in dark matter, qigong, and paradigm shifts. Most recently they choreographed “Maman, Do You Love Me?” for The Frank Theatre’s Telling It Bent showcase in the 2022 Ignite Youth Festival.

Shay Dior

Shay Dior is a Vietnamese-Canadian drag luminary whose aesthetic channels both King and Queen drag elements into a harmonious body of gender fluidity. From humble beginnings in Toronto, they have led an incredible drag career having performed internationally in France, as well as New York for World Pride, while strongly advocating for queer Asian visibility in their local Vancouver community. While striving to increase representation, Shay Dior founded Canada’s only all Asian drag family, becoming matriarch of the House of Rice. Chock-full of artistry and talent, the members of this house have collectively and individually become inspiring leaders for the queer and Asian communities. Since its inception, the House of Rice has been featured in 3 documentaries, 2 theater festivals, and many artist collaborations, which leaves no
question as to how important their work is.

Ploy Pailin

Ploy Pailin is a sensitive soul, but often masked with a hard exterior. A princess from Thailand, she’s a lady in the streets but always knows when to bring the heat. She’s all about a good time and you’ll find her with her little purses and big possies frequenting local establishments. She’s a queen of megamixes and someone who can never decide what song to perform. Pailin hopes to spread smiles and laughter to everyone who’s lucky enough to be around her.

Jas Minh

Jas Minh is a party queen. She may be new to the scene, but you can find her dancing anywhere and everywhere. Serving looks and stunting pretty, she’s the bitch from Vancouver city. She likes to stay sassy, classy, and trashy. Jas Minh is a member of the House of Rice – an all Asian drag family based in Vancouver, BC.

Kara Juku

Kara Juku is a non-binary drag artist, content creator and multi-faceted performer. Kara was the first drag artist of Asian descent to be crowned the coveted title of Vancouver’s Next Drag Superstar 2020 and Vancouver’s East Side Phenomenon 2019. Kara is a member of Enby 6, Vancouver’s new non-binary super group. They are a member of House of Rice, Vancouver’s all-queer Asian drag dynasty and daughter of Kendall Gender, a sensational pillar in the Canadian drag community. With their hypnotically vivacious style of performance, Kara has an
instantaneous gravitational pull and top tier dance moves to match; they are the one to watch.

The Kiki House of Gvasalia

The Kiki House of Gvasalia was founded in 2018, and is recognised as the first Ballroom house in Vancouver. This performance highlights dancing by Red, MiuMiu, Father and Mother Gvasalia + mix edited by Katria Gvasalia.

King Fisher

Originally from the traditional territories of the Ktunaxa (tu-na-ha) Nation. King Fisher is the man of your dreams. He’s ready to entertain with chaotically funny and moderately sexy content. Loving the glitz and the glam of being on stage Vancouver’s bird king is soaring into your hearts and wallets.

Hampton G

Hampton G is a multidisciplinary artist and musician living on the unceded territory of the tsleilwaututh, musqueam and squamish people. They construct beats and melodies on stage, improvising and freestyling. They are decomposer. Breaking down what seems complicated into its component parts for all to see.

Persephone Estradiol

Persephone Estradiol is a Two Spirit trans femme drag performer, living in Vancouver. They are Oji-Cree Saulteux from Sapotaweyak Cree Nation. Bringing gender euphoria, emotions and fluidity,

Persephone proves time and time again why she’s the Queen of the Underworld. New to scene, they surround themselves in a community that celebrates gender vengeance, Drag Kings and Things, and the body as conduit.

Minor Disappointment

Minor Disappointment is a non-binary, trans masculine youth drag artist and performer. They Reside and create on the unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh people. Their art revolves around exploring trans expression and producing meaningful work through a comedic lens. They are the host of Soda Pop! A drag show and party created specifically for youth, by youth. Minor hopes to never disappoint you.