After being forced to celebrate in solitude through two years of pandemic restrictions, thousands crowded into Depot Market Square on Sunday for Bellingham’s 2022 Pride Parade and Festival.
Humans of all walks of life, and what seemed like every dog in the county, marched, danced and proudly displayed their support for the local LGBTQ+ community.
Skaters and members of the Bellingham Roller Betties ride through the Bellingham Pride Parade on Railroad Avenue. (Hailey Hoffman/Cascadia Daily News)
People fill West Chestnut Street as they walk up the hill toward the festival at the end of the parade. (Hailey Hoffman/Cascadia Daily News)
Performers, businesses, groups and locals rolled through town in the parade in support and celebration of the LGBTQ+ community. (Hailey Hoffman/Cascadia Daily News)
The parade, emceed by the venerable Betty Desire, embarked from Waypoint Park around noon, marched up West Chestnut Street and turned right onto Cornwall Avenue before settling into a beautiful afternoon of celebration, community and dozens of local vendors and organizations.
The festival at Depot Market Square featured an all-ages dance party, mini horses from Animals as Natural Therapy, martial arts lessons, an endless supply of great food and a raucous drag show that could be heard from blocks away.
Hundreds of people crowd into Depot Market Square for performances, activities and vendors following the parade. (Hailey Hoffman/Cascadia Daily News)
Mx, one of the day’s drag performers, said the turnout was a testament to the support Bellingham provides to the LGBTQ+ community.
“This event was pretty last-minute, so the fact that this community has turned out in such large numbers is really, really beautiful,” Mx said. “That’s why I love Bellingham, it’s always such a supportive area. We consistently show how strong this community is and that’s really fun.”
The crowd cheers on drag queen Sage Valentine after “death dropping” at the end of her set. (Hailey Hoffman/Cascadia Daily News)
Rumors Cabaret, an institutional nightclub and drag show venue across the street from Sunday’s festival, along with neighboring Boundary Bay Brewery, sponsored the event.
Bellingham has not hosted a Pride parade of this magnitude since the COVID-19 pandemic began, a fact not lost on those in attendance Sunday.
“It’s not only a celebration for Pride, but one of the first times we all get to be together again,” said Ayden Maier, a festival volunteer. “It’s definitely more people than I thought were going to show up, so it’s really nice to see such a great turnout.”
Alex Pollock, 7, gets a sparkly, rainbow dolphin tattoo from Aireekah Laudert of Glitt3r Lyfe. (Hailey Hoffman/Cascadia Daily News)
Louis Chapman, 8, tries sparring with Hunter Clagett, an owner and coach at Bellingham MMA. The mixed martial art gym walked in the parade and provided basic lessons in sparring. (Hailey Hoffman/Cascadia Daily News)
Buttercup, the miniature horse from Animals as Natural Therapy, attended Pride. The Bellingham nonprofit offers behavioral and mental health programs for many locals. (Hailey Hoffman/Cascadia Daily News)
A previous version of this story incorrectly stated the Bellingham Pride Festival as the Whatcom Pride Festival. The Whatcom Pride Festival will take place July 30. The story was updated to reflect this change on July 18 at 9:00 a.m. The Cascadia Daily News regrets the error.
