Happy Pride 2010 MI!
Pride is a celebration of sexual and gender diversity in the LGBTT2QQIA (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transexual, Transgender, 2-spirited, Queer, Questioning, Intersex, and Ally) community. Pride Toronto is the largest LGBTQ event in North America.
The
Pride Community Street Fair and Marketplace runs throughout Pride Weekend. This is a showcase for hundreds of artists, retailers, community organizations, food vendors, and more. It takes place right in the heart of the Gay Village, along Church Street and intersecting Wellesley Street East, and it runs from 10 am until midnight on Saturday, July 3, and from 10 am until 11 pm on Sunday, July 4.
There are also eight different entertainment stages set up throughout the Gay Village over Pride Weekend, as well as in nearby Queen's Park, just west of the Village (this is an expansion for 2010) -
here's a map of the festival. An entertainment highlight for 2010, pop songstress Cyndi Lauper headlines the festival at Queen's Park on Saturday, July 3 - this free concert takes place at 9 pm. Other entertainers this year include Zelma Davis, Cesar Murillo, Lolene, Nancy Rancourt, Kate Reid, Hunter Valentine, *****, 8 Inch Betsey, The Cliks, Saidah Baba Talibah, Dragonette, Betti Ford, Ivana Santilli, Jully Black, and some of North America's top DJs.
Family Pride takes place on the grounds of Church Street Junior Public School over both days of Pride Weekend; activities includes crafts, games, children's entertainment, a picnic on Saturday, and family brunch on Sunday. The hours are 11 am until 6 pm on Saturday and Sunday, July 3 and July 4.
The much-anticipated
Toronto Dyke March is held on Saturday, July 3, at 2 pm. It begins on
Church and Hayden streets and continues west along Bloor, south down Yonge, east on Wood, and back up part of Church Street.
The
festival culminates on Sunday at 2 pm, with the
Toronto Gay Pride Parade, a hugely attended procession that commences at the intersection of Bloor Street East and Church Street. It then heads west to Yonge Street, south to Gerrard Street, and east back to Church Street (
here's a map of the parade route). Participants are eligible for a number of parade awards, from "best costume design" to "best special effects" to "best overall float vehicle" - there's a lot of fabulousness going on.
It is a celebration of the diversity of the
LGBT community in the
Greater Toronto Area. It is one of the largest organized
gay pride festivals in the world, featuring several stages with live performers and
DJs, several licensed venues, a large Dyke March, and the Pride Parade.
Happy PRIDE everyone!
