The weekend started with a drag show at local gay bar Flashback,[6] sponsored by the Imperial Sovereign Court of the Wild Rose, and later a Unity Dance at Phoenix Hall hosted by G.A.T.E.

[3][8] That year, the GALA '84 committee petitioned the City of Edmonton to declare June 27 as Gay and Lesbian Awareness Day,[9] but it was rejected by Mayor Laurence Decore, with several alderman, including Julian Kinisky and Lyall Roper, speaking against the idea.

[11][12] Another request was submitted by Alderman Ed Ewasiuk for the city to declare a Gay and Lesbian Awareness Day but it was rejected "amid the giggling of some council members.

This included the popular Womonspace wine and cheese event, the return of the annual dance and picnic, and three plays: “Come Out, Come Out, Wherever You Are”, “Retrospective: A Dramatization of Our Gay and Lesbian History,” and “Fit for Life: An Evening of Skits”.

[16] GALA '89 ran from June 16–27, 1989 with the theme “Celebrate Our Differences.”[3] The Pride Festival opened with a special concert by Lynn Lavner and David Sedera, held at the Provincial Museum.

[18] Robinson was also there to help celebrate the grand opening of the new Gay and Lesbian Community Centre (GLCCE) building located at 9917 112th Street.

"[20] In response to the rejection of the proclamation, GALA decided to self-proclaim “Gay Day Anyway”, punctuated with a public rally and mock proclamation in the form of a special “silly city council meeting” held at Centennial Plaza with local actors playing the roles of city aldermen and the mayor.

[3][21][22] Pride '90 ran from June 15–27, 1990 and was special because newly elected Mayor Jan Reimer became the first Mayor in Edmonton's history to participate in Pride festival activities, including a celebrity dunk tank event held as part of the “Something Wicked, Something Wild” party at the Northern Light Theatre.

and featured events such as a workshop for parents, information sessions and public forums about safe sex and testing, and a pride picnic at Rundle Park.

[23] An information session was also held at Centennial Plaza and was attended by gay Alderman Glen Murray from Winnipeg who spoke the need for human rights protections around sexual orientation in Alberta.

[25] However, unlike Pride Week in Toronto, which also had its roots in police protests against Operation Soap, the parade did not become a regular feature of the event until the early 1990s.

[28] Delwin had been fired earlier that year from King's University and was fighting his unjust dismissal, which would ultimately end up before the Supreme Court of Canada (Vriend v.

[3] A pride-a-thon was held on the 27th, once again raising money for the Delwin Vriend Defense Fund and a three-night film festival at Garneau Theatre.

Such events included a sober dance party and an informal discussion with Vivek Shraya, a trans artist and author.