Last year, a small group of friends from the St. Margaret’s Bay area started something special.
A dream to create a Pride festival celebrating 2SLGBTQIA+ folks in their area became reality. A month full of events. A market featuring queer vendors and businesses. A parade where the community could show their colours.
This year, it’s planned to be even bigger.
“It’s going to be the biggest event we’ve ever put on,” says Tania Cheng, one of the group’s founders.
“We’ve got a gender-affirming clothing swap. We’ve got a hockey game with the Halifax Mussels. We’ve got several picnics and barbeques, drag bingo, and it all kind of culminates in our biggest event, which is Bay Pride Fest.”
Bay Pride Fest is set for Saturday, July 25 this year, featuring a trail parade starting at the Hubbards library, a Pride Market at the Hubbards Farmers Market, a picnic, food trucks, a live matinee at Black Harbour Distillers, an all-ages drag and open mic, and a silent disco.
This is on top of the mountain of events going on through July, with the festivities having already begun. A full calendar of the month’s events is available on the St. Margaret’s Bay Pride website.
“One of the things we’re really prioritizing is just making sure there are events that serve different audiences,” says Cheng. “For example, we’ve got quite a number of family-oriented events. There’s a family pride party at the Tantallon Public Library. A parenting for parents and caregivers of trans and gender-diverse children and youth. There’s also adult-friendly events, drag bingo and drag brunch.”
Beginning Bay Pride Fest
St. Margaret’s Bay Pride is a community organization. They aren’t a non-profit, and they aren’t a business.
Instead, it started as an idea within the minds of a few community members, including Cheng and their wife, Dana Decent.
When the couple moved to the area, they had trouble finding other queer people in the community.
“That was part of the reason why we started this to begin with,” says Cheng. “When we moved here, we didn’t really know how to find other queer people, and it’s not like we all walk around with a rainbow stamped on our heads.”
Starting St. Margaret’s Bay Pride was the answer, as they quickly learned that there were plenty of 2SLGTBQIA+ folks living on the shore. This resulted in an evolving group of friends and volunteers, amounting to a total of 15 people, putting on the first Bay Pride Fest in 2025. The organization reports over 750 attendees came out to 18 events last year.
“I made so many new friends from doing this Pride work, and I’ve also just met a lot of people in the community because I’m talking to local businesses and organizations all the time,” says Cheng. “I can’t really go out into town without bumping into somebody that I recognize, or somebody who will recognize me.”
This year, they have around 25 people helping out. They’ve also partnered with several organizations and businesses to help them celebrate.
“I think we were pleasantly surprised when I had started reaching out to businesses that many of them said, ‘Yeah, of course, happy to host a Pride event’,” Cheng explains. “We certainly started with the business we had a good feeling would be friendly to the idea, but because we had some success last year, I think this year, even more businesses are interested in being involved.”
The group has also been offering inclusivity workshops to local businesses, focusing on an educational aspect of Pride that ensures the wider community recognizes and respects their local 2SLGTBQIA+ people. This included a customer service workshop on serving the queer and trans community, which Cheng says was quite successful with around 60 participants.
“I think the business community and community organizations in our area are appreciating that we’re able to offer resources and support,” says Cheng.
Just two years in, the positive impact they’ve made is already clear.
“We have parents who come up to us and say, ‘Oh, I’m glad this is here because my kid is trans and is having a hard time at school,’ or we’ll hear people who have just come out as non-binary in their fifties and coming up to us and saying, ‘I’m so glad this exists because my friends don’t get it.’ We’re hearing the appreciation,” says Cheng.
“That’s why we’re doing this, right? There are actually so many queer and trans people who live in St. Margaret’s Bay, and I think up until we started organizing Pride, the community had always been here, but just has been a bit quiet,” they continue. “I think we’re just creating a space and a platform for people to connect, build relationships, and support each other.”
For more information on St. Margaret’s Bay Pride and Bay Pride Fest 2026, check out their website, Instagram, and Facebook.
