Latest news with #ClubHappenings
Winnipeg Free Press
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Winnipeg Free Press
What's up: Pride celebrations
This year's Pride Winnipeg theme is 'Rise in Pride, Stand in Strength.' The organization's annual festival kicks off at The Forks from noon to 8 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. The festivities include three stages of live entertainment, family-friendly activities, an artisan market and an LGBTTQ+ community zone. Food trucks, beer gardens and a substance-free area will be on site. Main stage performers include Ami Cheon, Bannock Babes, Sebastian Gaskin, Bicycle Face, Hera and Bobby Dove. JOHN WOODS / FREE PRESS FILES Pride Winnipeg's annual festival, rally and parade take place this weekend. JOHN WOODS / FREE PRESS FILES Pride Winnipeg's annual festival, rally and parade take place this weekend. Gather in front of the Manitoba Legislative Building at 10 a.m. on Sunday for a rally, followed by the Pride Parade, which begins at 11 a.m. on Memorial Boulevard with marchers and floats travelling eastbound on Portage Avenue to The Forks. The parade will be livestreamed on CTV Winnipeg with accessible indoor and outdoor viewing areas inside and in front of Canada Life Centre at 300 Portage Ave. ASL interpreters will be on hand during the rally. — Eva Wasney Iiiiit's Saturday Night Pride! With Jaylene Tyme! INSTAGRAM Drag queen Jaylene Tyme hosts Rainbow Resource Centre's Pride Weekend party. INSTAGRAM Drag queen Jaylene Tyme hosts Rainbow Resource Centre's Pride Weekend party. The veteran Vancouver drag artist — who was crowned Miss Congeniality in Season 5 of Canada's Drag Race — is headlining Rainbow Resource Centre's Pride Weekend party at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. Tyme, a Two-Spirit Indigenous trans woman and advocate, uses her platform to empower her community and raise awareness about missing and murdered Indigenous women, the '60s Scoop (of which she is a survivor) and truth and reconciliation. Canada's Drag Race fans will no doubt remember her show-stopping finale dress inspired by the Every Child Matters movement. Joining Tyme on Saturday is Cake, Rainbow Resource Centre's drag-artist-in-residence, and local performers Kymera and Jamie Allwood. DJ Princess Die will keep the dance floor packed all night. The event is 18+. — Jen Zoratti DAN DANIELSON PHOTO Club Happenings is hosting a Rainbow Rave. DAN DANIELSON PHOTO Club Happenings is hosting a Rainbow Rave. Dig out your dancing shoes for the ultimate Friday night Pride party; there's no better place to be. Dance your heart out to sets by an all-queer DJ lineup and feast your senses on electric drag performances. The night of queer joy, fierce beats and dazzling self-expression features headliner DJ Sydney from Toronto with local powerhouses NotMyAuthority, KvLTBABY, Dov and Inflo. Promising genre-defying sets that move from house and techno to bass, bounce and beyond, make sure you're prepped for the long-haul during this seven-hour rave extravaganza. — AV Kitching MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS FILES Meet at Upper Fort Garry tonight for a queer history walking tour. MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS FILES Meet at Upper Fort Garry tonight for a queer history walking tour. For the next month, nearly every corporation, police service and level of government in Canada will be flying the rainbow flag, but less than 40 years ago, when Winnipeg had its first pride parade in 1987, participants still felt compelled to mask their faces with paper bags to protect their identities. It's a reminder that Winnipeg's queer history is one of persecution as well as celebration, a legacy represented in the city's queer walking tours. Join local cultural historian Britt Bauer tonight for the Winnipeg Queer History Walk, a free tour from Upper Fort Garry through downtown and the Exchange District. No registration needed — just show up with comfortable walking shoes. The Winnipeg Architecture Foundation also has a self-guided Winnipeg Queer History Tour, which covers resource and health centres, clandestine cruising spots, early gay bars and social clubs (did you know that Gio's was originally called the Winnipeg Gay Community Centre?). Visit for more information. —Conrad Sweatman LAUREN SIDDALL PHOTO Good Neighbour Brewing Co.'s patio turns into Queer Gardens this weekend. LAUREN SIDDALL PHOTO Good Neighbour Brewing Co.'s patio turns into Queer Gardens this weekend. Vintage threads, comedy, a queer-themed beer garden and drag queen karaoke: Sherbrook Street businesses have come together to throw a host of events as part of this year's Pride festivities. The West Broadway Pride block party kicks off tonight with a drag party at Good Neighbour Brewing Co. starting at 6 p.m. and a free Fruit Roll-Up Comedy Showcase at 8 p.m. at The Handsome Daughter. The crew at Chips Vintage are promising a special guest performer at 8 p.m., as well as 20 per cent off all in-store goods plus some limited-edition merchandise, with all proceeds going to Sunshine House. End the night back at The Handsome Daughter with live band karaoke and local drag queens. Tickets are $10 plus fees at Brightly coloured beers will be flowing today through Saturday at the Good Neighbour/Next Door patio, dubbed the Queer Gardens in honour of Pride. Beat the heat with the new quartet of Good Neighbour's Gaytorade sour brews featuring Slay Queen Orange, Electric Bear-y, Fruity Punch and Fierce Grape flavours. The Queer Gardens also hosts an acoustic set by Snackie on Friday and a sold-out Saturday brunch in collaboration with the Winnipeg Humane Society. — Ben Sigurdson
CBC
20-02-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
Joke Around and Find Out contest aims to open doors for new Indigenous comedians
A Manitoba-wide Indigenous stand-up comedy contest will comes to its conclusion Thursday on a Winnipeg stage. Club Happenings will host the finals for "Joke Around and Find Out," a competition for new First Nations, Inuit and Métis comedians who are getting on stage for the first or second time. Eight are competing for the $2,000 grand prize, as well as paintings, trophies and gift cards for other finalists. "Our only one rule for the contest is let's keep it a little rez," said one of the organizers Jeff Gobeil. "People have been keeping it rez and by that we mean authentic, true to yourself, and don't try to be something you're not." The winner will be selected by crowd reaction. Gobeil, a member of Poplar River First Nation, has been a comedian for three years. He followed in the footsteps of his sister, who tried comedy first. Gobeil wrote material for his sister, but now he's the one that takes the stage on a regular basis on the Winnipeg comedy scene. Gobeil put together the contest with fellow comedian Lyle Wood from St. Theresa Point First Nation. Wood and Gobeil reached out to St. Theresa Point for financial backing for the contest. The band responded with a $2,000 grand prize for the contest's winner, on the condition that part of the contest would have to be held on reserve. The community's local radio station played host to the contest's first event. On the first round in St. Theresa Point, 12 comedians signed up and 9 made the stage. The organizers were impressed by the turnout. Two subsequent shows have taken place in Winnipeg, where Denny Frehley of Roseau River First Nation jumped on stage for the first time. "I feel like I did pretty good but for the first time, there were some nicks and cricks I got to work on in the act," said Frehley. "Figure it out. Memorize more. Deliver the punchline in a more quick way." Frehley is no stranger to performing, as he is an actor looking to develop his comedy chops. "I've always wanted to try stand-up, I just never gave it a shot," he said. Fellow actor and contestant Cilla Bean from Peguis First Nation also got on stage with hopes of finding new inspiration. "I've always been on stages and performing but I had no idea that stand-up comedy was next-level intimidating, it's total anxiety," Bean said. Bean added through a chuckle, "I did really well, but it might have been beginner's luck." It's often said that laughter is therapy. Gobeil agrees. "Comedy encourages you to write and share stories but maybe provides a little bit of healing as well," he said. Gobeil said the shows have been fun, and "truly driven by a spirit of community." A photographer and video crew will be on hand on Thursday to document the contest's final evening. There are plans to run the contest again next year.
