Calgary Pride festival moving to Prince's Island Park

The Calgary Pride festival is moving to bigger and better downtowngrounds after outgrowing its former home in Shaw Millennium Park.

"Prince's Island Park, just being a larger venue, allows us to continue to grow the event as we continue to see more people coming out year over year. As well it gives the opportunity to expand certain aspects and elements of the event,"said Calgary Pride president JasonKingsley.

The week-long festival drew almost 8,000 out-of-town visitors to the city last year.

The Pride parade will also change to a proposed new route along Sixth Avenue in downtown Calgary.

"This new route will allow spectators and participants to flow directly into the Pride in the Park event at Prince's Island Park," organizers said in a release.

An economic impact study commissioned by Calgary Pride in 2016 found the festival was responsible for $5.5 million of economic activity in Alberta and increased Alberta's GDP by $2.7 million, as well as supporting $1.6 million in local wages.

The ten-day festival begins Aug. 25 with the parade scheduled for Sept. 3

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