Mark your calendars! As of today, the official 100-day countdown to Pride Toronto begins. The 10-day festival — returning June 18 for Toronto’s 35th Pride — will be the first under the control of recently appointed executive director Mathieu Chantelois.
“It’s been a busy time at the Pride Toronto office since coming on board in late January,” says Chantelois. “We’ve welcomed three new full-time staff, began recruitment for incredible volunteers, expanded our footprint in a new office location and are in the midst of booking fabulous performers and events for 2015. I can’t wait to announce what we have up our sleeves.”
To mark the occasion and kick off the official upcoming Pride season, Daily Xtra has the exclusive first look at Pride Toronto’s 2015 new poster campaign, created in association with Montreal designer Etienne Dicaire.
“We are so excited to reveal these images and share our direction for Pride Toronto 2015. This is just a sneak peek at what’s still to come – we’re not taking ourselves too seriously, but having fun with a fresh, bold, new look for Pride Toronto,” says Chantelois.
Since his hiring, Chantelois has spent time meeting with many stakeholders, from current and previous board members, to accessibility specialists, to leaders of other non-profits.
“I was touched and humbled to see how people are invested in Pride Toronto. There is no way we can let them down – we need to deliver an incredible festival.”
“I was the most inspired by our series of trans townhalls,” he says. “This community still channels incredible positive energy and recognizes the importance to take the time to organize together and plan for an exciting Pride.”
Performers, parties and event announcements for Pride Toronto are expected to begin in April. Until then, Pride Toronto welcomes those who are interested to register as volunteers by emailing volunteer@pridetoronto.com
—Editor’s Note: An earlier version of this post incorrectly referred to this year’s Pride as the 35th anniversary. It is actually the 35th edition of Toronto Pride, but only its 34th anniversary.
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