Flowers for Joy. Flowers for Pride. Flowers for All.

For the first time ever, join us in Vancouver for Fleurs de Villes PRIDE – a floral celebration of joy and inclusivity. From July 27 to August 1, these floral installations will be completely free and open to the public. Enjoy flower-bombed benches, rainbows, swings and selfie-frames this Vancouver Pride weekend. 

The West End and Yaletown each play a distinct part in Canadian 2SLGBTQAI+ history. Fleurs de Villes is proud to join these neighbourhoods in honouring that history, while celebrating the best way we know how - with flowers!

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West End

While there had been a concentration of queer communities in the West End since the 1940s, Davie Street’s gay village didn’t become fully visible until the 1970s. 

The first parade, simply a march of residents down the sidewalk, occurred in 1978. A few years later, in 1981, The Pride Society was incorporated and 10 days of festivities organized around an official parade. 

Soon, gay-friendly business and institutions like Little Sister’s Book and Art Emporium would cement Davie Street’s space in queer history. Jim Deva Plaza, at Davie and Bute, is named after the founder of Little Sister’s Book and Art Emporium and longtime activist for Vancouver’s 2SLGBTQAI+ community.

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Yaletown

On July 6, 1979, Yaletown became home to the first lesbian-owned and lesbian-run bar in Vancouver. The Quadra, located at 1055 Homer Street and on top of a postal sorting station, was only open for a short 18 months, but the impact was felt strongly by the city’s lesbian and gay community. The Quadra began on a shoestring – in fact, founders Suzan Krieger and Heather Farquahar somehow were able to get the keys after an initial viewing and quickly print up flyers to promote the place on its first night. The club was packed and the two were able to make their deposit on the building. The Quadra was officially open. But the party was over almost as soon as it started. The lease ran out and the bank wasn’t comfortable loaning money to a lesbian business. It was a homophobic world in the early 80s.

The only other gay club in the area was The Gandydancer. The cutting edge gay club opened in 1975 and was located at 1222 Hamilton Street where Bar None currently tops the nightclub scene in Yaletown. FUN FACT: The term gandy dancer was slang for early railroad workers who laid and maintained railway tracks. It’s thought that the workers made “dancing” movements using a specially manufactured 5 foot lining bar (possibly called a “gandy”) as a lever to keep the tracks in alignment.