On Sunday, August 5, 650,000 spectators will line the streets of downtown Vancouver for the largest LGBT celebration in Western Canada, the 34th annual Vancouver Pride Parade.

Vancouver’s largest single-day annual community event, the Vancouver Pride Parade will be filled with rainbows, colourful floats, marching bands, and a variety of community groups. There are over 150 parade entries expected for 2012.

The three-hour long parade kicks off at 12:00pm at Robson and Thurlow, along Denman Street, and ends at Sunset Beach for the Pride Festival.

For the 13th consecutive year, Vancouver’s legendary drag queen, Joan-E will host he parade at the corner of Denman and Davie. Her witty commentary is always a highlight of the parade.

The 2012 Vancouver Pride Parade Grand Marshals are Jenna Talackova, Bill Monroe and David Hotzman.

There are a number of road closures in effect on parade day. Public transit is encouraged in and around the downtown core. For people with disabilities, there are reserved accessible viewing areas along the parade route.