Dale Plourde, producer of the PURE Pride show for PURE Pride Entertainment Inc. of Edmonton, has been invited to bring his self-described "antics" to Calgary’s Pride this year - to Flames Central, no less. He sat down with GayCalgary & Edmonton Magazine to tell us more about the event.
"I am an entertainment guy. Pride [to me] is not so much a business of events, but a business of entertainment: our goal is to entertain people, and specifically the gay community...gay businesses, nightclubs in particular, but also restaurants and hotels: do they ever do well when there’s a busy Pride. But everybody needs to be on-board. I think we’ve got about 10 or 12 businesses that have got together and want this thing to happen."
We asked him how far he thinks Alberta has come compared to Pride in bigger cities like Vancouver.
"I’m from Vancouver, and where Edmonton Pride is now is where Vancouver Pride was, say, in 1997. That was quite a big deal then. I’m also the Entertainment Director for the Edmonton Pride Society, and we had over 20,000 people at our [Edmonton Pride] show in the square this year. That’s just amazing numbers."
"And then we had 1500 people at the PURE Pride show, which followed [the Edmonton Pride Street Festival] directly. ...It’s just craziness: porn stars, a fashion show, and the biggest DJ’s in the world. For example, Hector Fonseca is Lady GaGa and Katy Perry’s official re-mixer who does all of their club remixes and such, and he headlined our show."
We asked if Dale thinks Calgary will pick up to the same degree that Edmonton has.
"I think it’s happening; I think the population is actually greater in Calgary... [There seems to be] a lot more gay people online in Calgary than in Edmonton..."
He explains how PURE Pride burst onto the scene in Edmonton: "Our first party was for 150 people, then we went from that to 250...to 650 people in a sold-out club in 2009, which also happened last year in Calgary. And then when we took our show out of the nightclub into a larger venue, and put on a bigger show, that’s when we really saw it explode. It went from 650 to 1500 people, because people were so excited... People have a hard time paying twenty bucks to go to the same old places; if there’s something spectacular going on that’s different, it’s nice to get out of there... [The Calgary Pure Pride] event is going to be held in Flames Central, which I think is the nicest venue in the city: we chose our venue very carefully."
Dale goes on to speak about why PURE Pride is a passion for him, and his goals and motivations behind the event.
"The energy is great, it’s like New Year’s Eve. It’s special, this is our day, this is our time... I like to see the smiling faces, and people dancing and having a good time. It makes it all worthwhile and entertaining... I like being able to go with my friends during Pride to an event with music, and the spectacles on stage, and say wow, what’s going to happen next?"
"It’s definitely not for money. Our goal is to break even at each show, much like putting on a house party. Nobody wants to have a party and have everyone come over and to then be out $5000.00. It’d be nice if everyone chipped in to make it happen."
"I’ve been involved in entertainment since the mid-80’s, and I’ve played in bands, and I’ve done large parties in Vancouver, and I’ve toured across Canada and the US entertaining. So I almost feel that it’s my duty by having this experience to put it to good use in my community... It just seems like a kind and exciting thing to do, and it’s rewarding to see people enjoy it. It’s not about me at all."
"It’s great fun. It really does make a difference. Some people like the Big Valley Jamboree, or some people like Shambala, or Pride Vancouver, or Toronto Pride or they go to the White Party or Black and Blue; they’ve got one thing a year that resonates with them and they find entertainment in it and it becomes a tradition. I’m trying to create tradition and memories so that they go to PURE Pride every year, and Pride, and draw tourism into the city, and create that buzz and excitement."
Referring to his earlier comments about everyone needing to "be on board", he points out the clear desire demonstrated by the Calgary LGBT business community, some of whom approached PURE Pride after their Edmonton successes.
"And I think that’s where the story is, that it’s got to the point where people are saying, please, we want to see this in Calgary."
What baffles Dale most is that many of the people wanting to help are not asking for anything in return.
"Usually people want to jump on the back of something successful and they want a piece of it. Well, that’s not the case: they just want it to happen."
What does Dale think will make the biggest waves at their Calgary show?
"We go for who are the most famous people in the gay scene in the world? and that’s who we got: [Hector Fonseca, and] porn star Brent Everett, who we’re bringing to Calgary as well. ...Brent actually performs. It’s quite fun. He interacts with people, and it’s surprising the things that he does, and people will be very pleased."
It will definitely be a night to remember in Calgary.