Get your Pride on! Here’s our guide to frolicking Pride Festivals all over the area. Whether you’re waving from a float, dancing in the buff, flying a banner or drinking on the sidelines, don’t forget your Pride colours, sunscreen and water.
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Montreal Divers/Cité (Pride)
Mon, Jul 25-Sun, Jul 31
The show must go on, despite two recent blows to Divers/Cité funding. Cultural Affairs did not give Divers/Cité the $60,000 that the festival was counting on to help fund this year’s event. Divers/Cité was also disappointed that Tourism Québec cut their support by half, giving $50,000 instead of the $100,000 which Divers/Cité received last year.
For the first time in 13 years, Divers/Cité Pride Parade will occur at night, kicking off the Pride Celebrations on Monday, Jul 25. This year’s parade will take place in the Gay Village, moving from east to west, along Boulevard René-Lévesque, from De Lorimier to Berri, starting tentatively at 8pm. Highlights include Le Grand Rendez-Vous/Community Fair Days on Jul 30 and 31, a cultural festival including favourites such as La Noche Latina and La Grande Danse, and various club parties, indoor shows and associated events.
Contact: Chris DiRaddo.
(514) 285-1085.
contact@diverscite.org.
www.diverscite.org.
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Ottawa Pride
Sat, Aug 19-Sun, Aug 28, 2005
It’s moved in time and place but still happening! Leather Fest will be Aug 26, the Women’s Boat Cruise Aug 27 and the Mayor’s Annual GLBT Town Hall will run from Fri, Aug 26 to Sun, Aug 28. Other events include the Pride Parade (details yet to be finalized), Centretown Movies (Pirates of the Caribbean airs Aug 28) and the Rainbow Party at the Festival Plaza, City Hall (Aug 28).
Contact: (613) 238-2424.
info@prideottawa.com.
www.prideottawa.com.
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Québec City Pride/Fierté Québec
Sat, Sep 1-Mon, Sep 5
The theme for this year’s Fierté Québec is “10 Years Of Pride.” It starts with an opening gala and a fashion show at Chapelle Du Seminaire, tentatively scheduled to open to the public on Thursday at 8pm. Organizers have dedicated Friday to this year’s symposium, which will link sexual diversity with other forms of multicultural diversity and will address homophobia, racism, discrimination and ableism. City bars will have their own events on Friday, but there will not be a formal Fierté party. On Saturday a community fair will promote local artists. The parade gets underway Sunday at 1pm, starting at the Plains of Abraham, where gay festival events began 10 years ago and Fierté Québec began in 2002, followed by the main shows. When the parade hits Hôtel Du Parlement, participants will voice concerns about cuts of over $22,000 to Fierté Québec funding, and recent cuts to Montreal’s Divers/Cité’s funding – to the tune of $110,000. Fierté organizers are still negotiating with Québec City to plan a multicultural show on Monday. The updated Fierté Québec website should be live by press time.
Contact: Fierté Québec.
(418) 523-2003.
info@fiertequebec.ca.
www.fiertequebec.ca.
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Cornwall Pride
Sat, Sep 3-Sun, Sep 4
The Pride Cornwall March kicks off Sat, Sep 3, at 10:30am at the Civic Complex parking lot, followed by the opening ceremony at 11am at the Lamoureux Park Bandshell. Other bandshell acts include The Sapphires, performing at 1pm, Milltown, doing their second Cornwall Pride, at 6pm, and a Drag Show at 8pm. On Sunday, Pride Brunch is from 10am to noon at Murphy’s Inn and there’s Gay Square Dancing at the bandshell at 1:30pm. The Hidden Cameras, which the United Kingdom-based New Musical Express dubbed “the kinkiest band ever to come from Canada,” also play the bandshell Sunday at 4pm and Murphy’s Inn, as part of the Pride Gala, at 9pm.
For more details, check out the newly updated website.
Contact: kevin@pridecornwall.com.
www.pridecornwall.com/events.
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