2SLGBTQ+ groups pull out of Edmonton Pride Festival over increased police presence
Posted August 19, 2026 5:54 pm.
Last Updated August 19, 2026 6:36 pm.
Controversy has returned to Edmonton’s Pride parade and festival, which is set for this weekend in downtown Edmonton.
The tension – once again – is over how Edmonton police are involved.
This time, it’s because of organizers’ plans for heightened security and a more visible police presence, which organizers say is needed for public safety.
That decision is why several 2SLGBTQ+ groups say they are pulling out of the festival.
“You cannot engage with such a massive deployment of police at a Pride event and yet you know clearly what police has done to our communities,” said Adebayo Chris Katiiti, the founder of RaricaNow.
Katiiti has been protesting police involvement at Pride for years, leading to the parade’s cancellation for seven years.
He is among those boycotting the event after an online post from the Edmonton Pride Festival confirmed security plans. Multiple groups announced they are pulling out of the event.
But Pride organizers say a visible police presence is needed, pointing to the attack on the Berlin Pride festival earlier this summer.
“We knew increased presence would make members of our community uncomfortable or intimidated, and that’s precisely why we chose to tell you in advance,” said Trevor Watson, the executive director of the Edmonton Pride Festival. “You deserve honesty, you deserve advanced notice, and you deserve to be able to make your own decisions whether and how you choose to participate. But Pride cannot simply look safe, it has to be safe.”
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The Edmonton Police Service confirmed to CityNews its major events team is working the festival.
“The EPS has worked closely with festival organizers over several months on event planning, including safety and security coordination, traffic management, road closures and emergency preparedness,” a police spokesperson said in an email. “We are mindful of the unfortunate circumstances that make this work necessary including that acts of hate and targeted violence have impacted 2SLGBTQ+ communities around the world.
“We appreciate the thoughtfulness with which Edmonton PrideFest has approached its planning and we continue to work together to ensure our role is as effective as possible, aiming to ensure a safe, secure and successful festival.”
Katiiti tells CityNews Pride has a history of protest, especially around police activities.
In Edmonton, that includes the bathhouse raids of the 1980s, which police formally apologized for in 2019.
Speaking out on behalf of some members of the community, like Black, brown, racialized, immigrants, undocumented people and sex workers, Katiiti says fear having more police will make them less safe.
“How can you tell us that the same system that continued to target our community on day-to-day life is the same system that you’re reaching out to provide safety for that same community?” Katiiti asked.
‘Defend every precaution we took’
Criminologist Irfan Chaudhry, who specializes in hate crime research, feels police have a role, noting Pride events across Canada are increasing security due to heightened hate towards the 2SLGBTQ+ community.
“I think the obligation is, whatever organizer, to ensure it is a safe environment for everyone. And having that type of public safety presence there, I think, is just part and parcel of holding larger events in this day and age,” said Chaudhry, a MacEwan University lecturer.
Edmonton’s mayor says he will be reaching out to those in the trans community, raising concerns about how the festival is engaging with them.
“While I’ll still attend, I think it’s important to be there to support all of the other community members who need that place to know that this is an inclusive environment,” said Andrew Knack. “We also cannot ignore the reality that there are folks, particularly in the trans community, who are not feeling like they’re getting supported by those organizers.”
Organizers for the weekend’s PrideFest say they will be reaching out to groups that are speaking out, noting Pride will continue.
“I will gladly stand before my community and defend every precaution we took,” Watson said. “But I will never stand before a grieving family and explain the precaution that could have protected someone they love was left undone because we were afraid of criticism.”
–With files from Lauren Boothby
