Pride fair day and dog show set to bring Albany’s Town Square to life

Albany Pride will set tails wagging on Saturday with a fair and a dog show in the heart of town to celebrate acceptance and family fun.

Since forming in 2011, Albany Pride has grown to offer a variety of support groups and annual events and provide a strong voice for the regional LGBTQI+ community.

Food and market stalls, face painting, bouncy castle, entertainment, drag story time and a DJ are all set to bring Albany’s Town Square to life from 10am.

The crowd-favourite Albany Pride Dog Show will return as the drawcard event this year.

Local hounds will compete in six categories including most distinguished senior, most spectacular outfit, and best ears on show from midday.

Albany Pride committee member Lupo Prenzato said the third annual fair was a family day, and an opportunity for everyone to have fun.

“The LGBTQI+ community here in Albany is subject to a lot of discrimination, more so than you would expect in 2021,” he said.

“It is still a huge problem, there is still a lot of animosity towards our community.

“The fair day is an opportunity to raise visibility and spread a message of tolerance and acceptance.

“It is open to everyone ... and a day to bring everyone together.”

Mr Prenzato said the drag story time from 11.30am was a popular event that he looked forward to seeing embraced by the community again this year.

“It is an event that is symbolic and it is very much loved by the community,” he said.

“People want to educate their children to be tolerant and teach them there are no differences and this is an opportunity for them to do so.”

To register for the dog show visit bit.ly/2WZd0gn.