2025 Places of Pride: Club Carousel – Official First Day Cover cancelled in Calgary, Alberta.

Places of Pride takes us to sites across Canada that 2SLGBTQIA+ people fought to make their own: places of celebration and freedom to be fully oneself, and spaces that nurtured a sense of solidarity that became a catalyst for change.

This issue proudly celebrates the spaces and places across the country that in some way shaped the present and can inspire the future. It highlights the resilience, courage and achievements of 2SLGBTQIA+ communities that have contributed to Canada’s ongoing journey toward inclusivity and equality.

Good to know

The 2025 Places of Pride stamp issue also includes a booklet of 8 Permanent™ domestic rate stamps, including two of each of the four designs in the set.
Official First Day Covers for each design in the issue are also available.
The Club Carousel Official First Day Cover is cancelled in Calgary, Alberta.

About Club Carousel

Places of Pride takes us to sites across Canada that 2SLGBTQIA+ people fought to make their own – places of celebration and freedom such as Club Carousel, considered Calgary’s first known gay bar.

A formative queer space for Calgary, Club Carousel opened in 1970. The club’s goal was innovative and transformative – to be an openly gay space for queer people in Calgary. Members of the local gay community worked together to acquire, clean and repair the space. Lesbians were founding members of the club, alongside gay men, which was significant for the times. The club’s lesbian-edited newsletter, Carousel Capers, informed members about events happening throughout the Prairies and featured relevant news, as well as poetry and fiction.

Club Carousel is considered the first space in Calgary where members could feel safe from homophobia, repression and intimidation. Its members-only policy and non-profit charter offered protection from police raids and harassment from the outside world. A beacon for queer people in Calgary and beyond, the club’s membership model was quickly emulated across the Prairies. Club Carousel brought together community builders, activists and members to work toward collective goals.

About the design

This issue, designed by Kelly Small at Intents & Purposes Inc. and illustrated by Tim Singleton, captures four landmark locations in rich colour illustration.

Each OFDC in this issue is designed and illustrated in a style reminiscent of travel postcards.

The cancel mark depicts a carousel horse, which was painted near the club’s dance floor and appeared on the cover of the club’s Carousel Capers newsletter.

Product # 414292131

2025 Places of Pride: Club Carousel – Official First Day Cover