They asked CLAGPAG to organize a political rally to kick off the week. PPC events also doubled as fundraisers to help get Calgarians to the games. The wind-up dance was held at the Hillhurst Sunnyside Community Association hall.ġ990 was a date that PPC organizers had their eyes on, as it was the year that Vancouver would hold the International Gay Games. There was an AIDS play presented called, “As Is,” a murder mystery night and more concerts. In 1989, the festival grew to a weeklong celebration and attracted more participating groups as well as pride nights at local bars. The first festival was a modest affair and consisted of a music concert, workshop, community displays, a dance, and a family picnic. They produced Calgary’s first Gay and Lesbian Pride Festival in June 1988, the timing very consciously in honour of the 1969 Stonewall riots in New York. They sometimes referred to themselves as a gay “Chamber of Commerce.” Groups in PPC included: Camp 181, Apollo, Metropolitan Community Church (MCC), Calgary Lesbian and Gay Political Action Guild (CLAGPAG), Rocky Mountain Singers and Gaylines.
