Procession of blah

The parade was much more colourful this year. Yay! But why, oh why, would any company pay thousands of dollars to go into the parade, but not swing down to the Dollarama for, oh, $15 worth of decorations? We spotlight the most egregious cases of artistic neglect in the hopes of preventing future violations.

JACK FM. An undecorated SUV and an un-decorated van. Why not retire the second vehicle and spend the $30 in saved gas on streamers?

Z103.5. Green and yellow Mardi Gras beads were the only accessory. What is it about commercial radio? You’re a hit-music station whose entry has… no… music.

BRAHMA. People paid $7 (ouch!) for it in the beer gardens, but not a dollar spent on decorations.

KEIHL’S. Product giveaways do not compensate for a marching contingent carrying corporate flags. Would rainbow face paint clog their pores?

STAG SHOP. A rainbow-postered panel truck from a business that sells sex toys and porn? Why not bring in a dildo model?

On occasion, the number of editors and other staff who contribute to a story gets a little unwieldy to give a byline to everyone. That’s when we use “Xtra Staff” in place of the usual contributor info. If you would like more information on who contributed to a particular story, please contact us here.

Keep Reading

Jimmy Heagarty

‘Big Brother 27’ star Jimmy Heagerty is making for great TV. It could be even better with more queer people

By very virtue of their sexuality, queer houseguests cannot have the same experience as their straight competitors

‘RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars 10’ delivers a wildly entertaining finale—after a waste-of-time semifinals

It’s hard to figure out just what producers were thinking with this merge format
Andrea Gibson, left, and Megan Falley, the subjects of the film "Come See Me in the Good Light," pose for a portrait during the Sundance Film Festival on Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025, in Park City, Utah.

Andrea Gibson helped me see life in the good light

Gibson’s poetry about queerness and mortality taught thousands of people how to reject apathy and embrace life
Collage of greyscale photos of a sofa, chair, shelf and the lower bodies of two people, against a purple and pink background

We need queer gathering spaces more than ever

The 11-part series “Taking Space” explores where we go next as the lights of gay bars dim