Every August, Montreal Pride (Fierté Montreal) takes over the streets in The Village and welcomes the world’s LGBTQ+ community for 10 days of celebrations.
Hundreds of events happen throughout mid-August to honour the community including the famous Pride Parade, Drag Queen shows and the unforgettable Mega T-Dance party.
For Gay, lesbian, trans or any other shade of the rainbow, Montreal Pride is booming with activities for everyone.
As Pride kicks off next week, we’ve assembled the 13 best free events you have to be a part of.
Flag Raising
Displaying the colours with the raising of the rainbow flag is always one of the strongest emotional moments of the Pride festival. A symbol of the globalLGBTQ+ movement, it symbolizes the affirmation, the diversity and the pride of the communities.
When: Friday, August 10
Time: 6 pm – 6:30 pm
Where: Parc des Faubourgs • TD Stage
Lighting of the Montreal Tower
For the fifth year in a row, the Olympic Stadium’s Tower will be illuminated with the colours of the rainbow. The curved spine of the famous structure is a spectacular sight and is totally Instagram-worthy.
When: Sunday, August 19
Time: 8 pm – 3 am
Where: Olympic Park
Queer Market
Support local creatives and businesses in a market that celebrates Pride. The market prioritizes the participation of Black, Indigenous and People of colour and trans and gender non-conforming persons.
When: Saturday, August 11
Time: 12:30 pm – 4 pm
Where: Centre communautaire de loisirs Ste-Catherine d’Alexandrie
The Pride Parade
The Pride Parade is an LGBTQ tradition that has been going on since 1979, it’s a show of the community’s solidarity, strength, and demand for the same respect, dignity, and basic rights as those granted to heterosexuals.
Streets from Rue Metcalfe to Rue Alexandre-DeSève on Boulevard René-Lévesque are completely closed off to motorists and makes way for 2.7 km of dancing, music, costumes and a whole lot of colours.
When: Sunday, August 19
Time: 1 pm and 4 pm
Where: Rue Metcalfe to Rue Alexandre-DeSève on Boulevard René-Lévesque
Youth BBQ
The Youth BBQ activity is a safe space reserved for young people (aged 14 to 25) who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, pansexual, trans, intersex, queer, questioning, asexual and two-spirit. It’s an opportunity to mix with the diversity of peers and celebrate solidarity in a relaxed and festive atmosphere.
When: Saturday, August 11
Time: 6 pm – 8 pm
Where: Parc des Faubourgs
Literary Pride Open Air Book Fair
The Montreal Literary Pride Open Air Book Fair has become a Pride tradition. It gives opportunities for people to discover great new books from LGBTQ authors who write pieces about people and issues.
Though books are purchased on site, free meet and greets, Q&A and autographs are available.
When: Saturday, August 18
Time: 11 am – 5 pm
Where: Various spots along Rue Ste. Catherine Est
Art in Sky
Illusion Concert
Over 30 drag queens will be on stage with high-calibre acts mixing costumes, music and dancing. This year’s special guest is Ada Vox, the runner-up on American Idol.
The newest tradition for the festival is the Drag Challenge. Three Quebec public figures and celebrities are playing along and dressing in drag for the evening and performing a routine.
When: Friday, August 10
Time: 8 pm – 11 pm
Where: Parc des Faubourgs – TD Stage
The Crazy Condom Race
A bevy of 30 drag queens, all dolled up and perched on spectacularly high stilettos, compete in an obstacle course race where the secondary objective is to bag as many condoms as they can. The main goal of the race is lots of laughter.
When: Thursday, August 9
Time: 6 pm – 8 pm
Where: Rue Ste. Catherine Est, corner of Rue Plessis
The Mega T-Dance Party
The Mega T-Dance Party wraps up the Pride festivities with a massive dance party that features 3 renowned DJs and various synchronized dance routines. Spain’s DJ Suri joins DJ Morabito and Grammy winner, Hex Hector for an evening of trance, hip-hop, house and dance tunes.
When: Sunday, August 19
Time: 3 pm – 11 pm
Where: Parc des Faubourgs – TD Stage
Yoga Kundalini
This high-energy yoga session is led by renowned yogi Pierre Appleby and combines several meditation, exercise, breath, posture and mantra techniques in which lower-body energy is slowly released in exchange for upper-body energy.