Category: Pride Events

Our last Pride of the season was Kamloops Pride. It was our 1st year. We had volunteered our low sensory space last year, which they enthusiastically took us up on, but the wildfires resulted in travel restrictions. There were 35,000 people who had been evacuated because of fires and another 30,000 who were on evacuation alert. The province needed people to stay off the road unless necessary. They also asked people not to use hotel rooms, which LET’S had planned, so that evacuees had access to options. We were sad to not be able to participate but completely understood the need to prioritize those experiencing traumatic situations.

We were glad to be able to attend Kamloops Pride this year. We typically have a minimum of 2 people at our low sensory spaces. Unfortunately, due to an unforeseen medical issue, we only had 1 person. Thankfully, we were supported by teens at the next booth over. They were part of the high schools’ Gender-Sexuality Alliance. They helped us set up and take down our booth, including a newly purchased tent that was very oddly designed. We also had local members who came by to say hey and check if we needed anything. We appreciated their support.

It was a great event and we had a very positive response to our space. People loved our book selection so much we had half a dozen people ask to buy books we had. We helped them find them online but selling some of our book selection is something we will give thought to. We had 3 groups of attendees who spent over an hour reading the books, either by themselves or 2 each other. It was nice hearing people read books. It’s also great to see adults realize that there is no age limit to childrens’ books. The books are filled with great content that resonates. And the illustrations and art within childrens’ book is amazing and varied.

Excitingly, 1 of the conversations we had at our tent was with a board member of Kelowna Pride. They had been at several Pride events over the summer and heard rave reviews about LET’S at all events. That, alone, was nice to hear but then they asked if LET’S would be interested in doing accessibility audits of their dozen or so venues. They have a new sponsor and new venues for their year-round events. They are prioritizing accessibility. They did a call-out for accessibility committee members and received an amazing amount of replies. We have since talked with them about scheduling a time for the audits.

Parent reading to their child, as the child colours.

LET’S was excited to return to Vancouver Pride Society’s PrideFest. We ran the low sensory space and had a LET’S information booth. We loved how many people stopped by our booth to show us that they still had the sensory items they’d gotten at our booth last year. We had others who were glad to see us because they had worn out, accidentally put in the washing machine, and/or lost their sensory items from the previous year. We even had some people who had heard about our booth from friends and were frustrated they hadn’t stopped by. It’s great to see so many people excited by the sensory selection at our booth.

We had many great conversations. We talked with teachers, camp counsellors, and program directors who were very much interested in our upcoming sensory kits sales. We chatted with people who had seen and/or heard of stim toys/sensory items but weren’t sure of what they did. We chatted with parents whose kids have just been diagnosed (and at least half of the parents have discovered they are also neurodivergent) and had lots of questions.

Our absolutely favourite interaction, though, was with 2 people who weren’t together. They were looking over the sensory items. 1 saw our weighted octopus and excitedly asked if either of us knew any octopus facts. Heather does indeed so they shared a few. Well that sparked such joy in the person. They went on a 5 minute infodump about octopuses. The other person kept moving closer until they looked up and provided a 5 minute infodump about another sea creature. Each person kept talking faster and faster and layering facts one over the other. The joy kept building and 20 minutes passed by. Then they both walked off in opposite directions. That is the kind of autistic joy we love witnessing!

At our booth, we directed many people to the low sensory space. We appreciated all the people who stopped by our booth to tell us how much the space meant to them. And we loved watching people stop by our booth and say no to the sensory items then talk them into trying 1 and they suddenly relaxed or nodded or zoned out or said “oh, that is nice”. Sensory items are such a wonderful way to demonstrate how accessibility doesn’t have to be this big thing to make a positive impact.

The low sensory space was popular. We heard from 1 person who had a 3.5 hour nap in the space. They said they hadn’t felt that safe in a long time. LET’S loves that we can provide this type of space.

It was a hot 1 and the LET’S staff member at our booth is “Celtic Pale” (as their grandfather called their fair skin). They were getting burned by the end of the 1st day. Out of concern, Vancouver Pride Society volunteers moved a patio umbrella over to the booth to provide additional shade. It was very much appreciated. Volunteers also came by regularly to let both our booth and low sensory folks have breaks to use the bathroom, get food, and, most of all, use the misting machines (and thank goodness for them!). We very much appreciate the attentiveness of the Vancouver Pride Society staff and volunteers. We also really thank the lemonade stand near us (sorry, I don’t remember their name) which not only had yummy hand-squeezed lemonade but who supplied us with cups of ice which helped so much! (If anyone knows their name, please let us know and we will add them to our post and tag them.)

Photo of LET’S’ booth at Vancouver Pride. Our table has stuffies, boxes of stim toys, and signage.

LET’S was hired to supply a low sensory space at the Canada Pride Human Rights Summit. The summit was the 1st time it had been held by Vancouver Pride Society. We were proud to be a part of this event. There were many amazing speakers covering essential topics.

As advocates within our communities continually fight for human rights (both not to be rolled back and to progress), this summit had very serious discussions, potentially triggering conversations, and issues that lead to a variety of emotions. Having a low sensory space where people could take a moment to regulate emotions, take a moment to breath and reflect, hug a stuffy, read a book, colour, or chat with the hosts.

A table from the LET’S’ low sensory space at the Canada Pride Human Rights Summit.

From Canada Pride’s website:

“More than a celebration of love and community, this event serves as a call to action, highlighting the critical importance of advocating for 2SLGBTQIA+ rights on a global scale. Over the span of ten days, Vancouver will be transformed into a hub of celebration of our Queer identities and the different intersections that make it so special.

This year, the celebration takes an important step with Vancouver’s inaugural Human Rights Conference, addressing the urgent challenges confronting the Queer community, here in Canada and globally. A staple of the Canada Pride celebration, the conference will bring together leading voices of our community who will share their knowledge and open the floor for attendees to exchange ideas. In these critical times, this conference holds heightened significance, providing a platform for essential discussions and advocacy.”

LET’S provided a low sensory space for Burnaby Pride. We also set up our information booth. The low sensory tent was well used. And people very much appreciated being provided with free sensory items at our information booth.

Burnaby Pride is composed of community members (2SLGBTQIA+ and allies) and agencies with programs and services in Burnaby. Burnaby Pride is actively seeking volunteers to join their enthusiastic team in the planning and preparation of Burnaby Pride.

This was a year of change for Burnaby Pride. Instead of being held in their previous location, Civic Square (next to Metrotown Library), Burnaby Pride was held at the Bonsor Recreation Complex field. There were several reasons for making the change. Burnaby Pride has grown over the past several years and Civic Square has space limitations. Additionally, Civic Square has some accessibility but the grass is an accessibility barrier and impacts disabled people’s ability to attend and equitably participate.

The new location had numerous issues that affected attendees and had them seeking out the low sensory space. The field was very dusty and affected people with respiratory issues. The heat was a lot and the field reflected the heat back at people. There were picnic tables provided but they were metal and unless people had longer clothing or something to sit on, the hot metal made the tables unusable. There was a cooling tent but there was no signage or seating. We had people come into the low sensory space for a place to sit. There was a sink for water and a cooler of ice available for attendees but a lack of signage. We had water at our information booth and also helped direct people to the water disposal unit and ice. However, we didn’t learn about the ice until the last 2 hours.

Family of 4 playing outside at low sensory space. — A family of 4 playing on the outdoor mats at the Burnaby Pride low sensory space.

While there were issues with the venue, including that the sandy field was not more accessible for people with wheeled devices, Burnaby Pride was a day full of joy, celebration, music, dancing, connection, and pride. The enthusiasm was palpable. We had wonderful conversations at both the low sensory space and information booth. We were excited to talk with some teachers who were interested in learning more about the sensory kits we will be selling in September. And the volunteers at Burnaby Pride were excellent and really helped with our set-up and take-down, which was very much appreciated.

LET’S is proud of our ongoing relationship with Burnaby Pride. While the change to the new venue had issues, they took a risk to try to improve things. Interesting fact: Burnaby Pride was the first event (aside from sporting events) to be held at the Bonsor Centre fields. The lessons learned through this year’s experience have been captured. Something LET’S respects about how Burnaby Pride is operated, is that they actively seek out feedback from individuals and vendors. LET’S has every confidence that Burnaby Pride will apply what they learned this year to make next year’s event all that much better.

This was LET’S’ second year at Fraser Valley Pride, held at Fraser River Heritage Park in Mission. Fraser Valley Pride represents Abbotsford, Chilliwack, and Mission.

Fraser Valley Pride has “been walking with our youth for many years. What started out as a walk around downtown Abbotsford and a BBQ in the parking lot of Abbotsford Community Services has become a week of Pride festivities in Abbotsford, Chilliwack, and Mission! We are excited to come together and celebrate diversity with our youth, their friends, families and community members.”

A young child playing with the collection of stuffed animals.

Last year, LET’S provided a low sensory space in addition to our information booth. This year we did the same. Based on feedback that we provided, we were moved a bit closer to the main event. We were closer to the music but we were much more visible. In addition, in order to encourage people to come to the low sensory space, Fraser Valley Pride created signs with 2SLGBTQIA+ facts on them. The signs led to our booth. We appreciate the extra effort that Fraser Valley Pride made to ensure people were aware of our services.

It was a wonderful day. Our location was among trees with shade and many chose to use our outdoor area. We had a bit of an issue because the tree had birds that liked dropping a red berry on people. The berry bled a bit and it was red so it didn’t startle a few people until we figured out what it was. We were quick with cleaning supplies when they were dropped and we warned people who sat under the trees. It didn’t negatively impact the day but it certainly caught our attention!

Part of what we love about the low sensory space is the relationships we build through conversation. We had a mum who came by to thank us. Last year, we had a long conversation about their neurodivergence. Based on that, they sought out a diagnosis and received it just before Fraser Valley Pride. They were excited to return and let us know their update. We were glad to have been a positive influence in their life. We also had a mum and her cute child who stayed in our low sensory space for most of their day. The child used our rainbow gymnastics mat for some energetic gymnastics. Then, when tired, they had a great time taking all the unused stuffed animals and piling and playing with them. It was wonderful to watch someone who was so delighted by soft and/or weighted stuffies.

At our Victoria Pride low sensory space, we were able to provide free menstrual products, such as reusable underwear (up to xxl), menstrual cups, and reusable pads. This was thanks to our partnership with the United Way Period Promise Campaign. The campaign provided select organizations with free reusable menstrual products and some disposable pads. They were hoping to better understand what impact reusable products can have as part of building long-term solutions. The campaign sought out community organizations who offer support to those demographics that disproportionately experience period poverty in BC: people living with disabilities, Indigenous peoples, and families making less than $40,000 a year. They hoped to get some useful information on participants’ experiences using reusable menstrual products, with the goal that the data will inform future policy changes that address period poverty in BC, and ultimately help to better serve our communities.

Visitors to our low sensory space were thrilled with the free reusable products. We had 1 set of friends who walked and 1 of them said “I’ve been trying to talk her into a menstrual cup the entire walk here and now you have them for free! She has no excuse not to try them now.” Her friend explained that cost was the barrier that had them hesitating. They knew in the long-run they’d save on money but it was trying to get the upfront cost that was a struggle.

The campaign’s only ask was for people, who took the free supplies, to do an online survey. We will share the results when it is released.

The feedback we heard included the following:

“Based on conversation, the biggest barriers, for our members, are cost, colour, and perception/bias.
The majority of disabled people live in poverty and buying menstrual products is expensive and ongoing. A big frustration is that in order to save money by buying reusable underwear, you have to have more money up front, which our members do not have. There was a lot of excitement about the underwear and cups being free as they are unaffordable to many members.
Providing them at events is a great way to aid them having access.
Colour is a big barrier, even within the products provided in the study. Menstrual products are typically in pinks with flowers or other perceived feminine designs.
This is a barrier for many trans folks. A person may be male but have a period. They don’t want to carry or use things that may peg them as a gender different to their own. Having menstrual products available in a variety of colours for all genders would be an aid.
Another barrier is perception and bias. Many people perceive periods, and thus menstrual products, as being for women only. This is untrue. People of all genders have periods and need menstrual products. They may be judged when buying products and/or there may be a lack of menstrual products in the washroom that aligns with their gender. The colours speak of this bias by using feminine perceived colours like pink. Having better education in classes, in bathrooms, and throughout the community would aid to work against these misperceptions and biases.

LET’S was excited to be returning to Victoria Pride. Last year, we provided feedback to the Victoria Pride organizers. We were very pleasantly surprised to discover they had made sure to address any issue we raised. We had mentioned, including that we provided water to a lot of people with sensory sensitivities because the only water was next to the speakers. They provided us with a lot of water and battery operated pumps. And thank goodness they did! The day Victoria Pride was held, it was 38 degrees. It was so hot! We went through about 50 litres of water. (Big respect to the furries and drag performers who wore their costumes in that kind of weather – that is true commitment! We hope they were able to cool off after.)

Inside the Victoria Pride tent, people fill the tent, those closest to the viewer are on a Care Bear blanket with stuffed animals.

Parent and child sitting side by side on a blanket.

Another item we mentioned to Victoria Pride was that there had been a search for a missing autistic teen last year. He had come with his friend and friend’s mum. At some point, he went to look at a booth and didn’t return. The friend’s mum went into an understandable panic and sought out security and police help. They had been searching for quite a time before they checked the low sensory space. He had come directly to the low sensory space and had happily sat himself in the corner and played with sensory items and stuffies. Based on our sharing this story, Victoria Pride told police and security to use the low sensory space as a lost child space. If someone, especially a neurodivergent someone, went missing, make sure to check our space. If they find a child whose parent is not to be found, they bring them to space. Previously, they would be placed in the first aid tent but there was nothing for the child to do. And, some calls required the whole team and were not the types of situations they wanted to bring a child to. If they were brought to our space, they would be more entertained. Plus our neurodivergent hosts are trauma-informed. Using us as a lost child space was a great idea and we suggested it to other Pride events.

LET’S was very pleased to receive an email, following Victoria Pride, with the following (edited to protect identity):

“I needed to reach out to thank you for the low sensory space at the Victoria Pride Festival. Without it my family would not have managed the day.

My ____ and myself were visiting from ____ and would have needed to leave 5 times over at least if it hadn’t been for the sanctuary you provided. I am grateful beyond words. We all had our own reasons for feeling the nest to retreat to the safety of the tent.

Just the space alone was enough to be grateful for, but then there were free menstrual products and sensory toys!! Best Pride booth ever!”

I am newly navigating a physical disability myself. I pushed myself to attend the festival. I could have spent the whole day in the low sensory space!

Anyways, just wanted to let you know how appreciative my family is!!”

At Nanaimo Pride, LET’S’ low sensory host had a conversation with a local who shared that they have a sensory-friendly air bnb. They explained that this endeavour has been a labour of love.

“Our suite was designed to ensure a relaxing environment for all of our guests. However, as a family of neurodivergent and sensory sensitive folks, we have thoughtfully designed the space with additional accommodations in mind. We have used soft colour tones, dimmable lighting, cozy spaces, and unique details to especially support those who have difficulty being away from the comforts of home. Our suite also uses unscented cleaning and hygiene products, different lighting options, sleep noise machines and additional items such as weighted blankets for your comfort. During construction of the space, we also opted for additional sound proofing between the suites to help further minimize noise transfer.

We are an LGBTQ2S+ family and endeavour to be as inclusive as possible. ALL are welcome here!”

To learn more visit their Instagram @sweetsuite_bythesea and/or Airbnb page is here.

In May, LET’S set up a low sensory space at Nanaimo Pride. It was our 1st year. There was a mix-up with our tent but, fortunately, it was a beautiful day and we set up the materials without a tent, near trees and water so people could still cool down. The space was well used throughout the day.

(The beautiful location of LET’S’ low sensory table

at Nanaimo Pride.)

LET’S is excited to be adding new Prides to our Pride season of low sensory spaces every year. If you belong to a BC Pride that would like to connect about our low sensory spaces, please do reach out by email hello@connectwithlets.org or phone/text 778.723.5387.

(A favourite activity, at our low sensory spaces,

is to pile all our stuffed animals.)

East Side Pride, by Vancouver Pride Society, is the 1st of LET’S’ Pride season and the kickoff to the Vancouver Pride season. This event is a nice way to enter Pride season. Held at Grandview Park, off Commercial Drive, it is a smaller Pride filled with amazing concerts, drag performances, delicious food from a great selection of food trucks, and over 45 artisan and community groups.

(LET’S information booth at East Side Pride.)

We had beautiful weather for the event. We were excited by how many people, who took sensory items from our booth last year, returned to say hi and pick up new sensory items. Our low sensory space was filled with people all day. It was a great start to the Pride season.

(Blankets, pillows, and stuffed animals at

low sensory space. Looks inviting, doesn’t it?)