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2021 Toronto Pride Online Festival Guide

2021 Toronto Pride Online Festival Guide

Pride Toronto has reason to celebrate! The month-long celebration of the 2SLGBTQ+ community is marking its 40th anniversary in 2021 and while this year’s festivities may be virtual, Pride Toronto’s biggest parties, free events, and annual highlights of one of the largest Pride festivals in the world have been reimagined for 2021 with Toronto’s first-ever Phygital Pride Festival – a unique interactive experience that’s physical and digital. While our participation in Pride stretches all the way back to 2012, Metrolinx is once again proud to be an official partner of Pride Toronto for this year’s virtual celebration. Beginning June 1 and featuring 70 events and more than 150 queer artists, 14 party collectives and seven community programs over two festival weekends, this Toronto Pride Guide will help you get your Pride Month on.

Toronto Pride’s Biggest Events

Kicking off Pride Month in Toronto, Mayor John Tory will raise the Rainbow and Transgender flags at Toronto City Hall on June 1. The 2021 flag raising will be streamed online as the city gets ready to celebrate the history, courage, and diversity of Toronto’s 2SLGBTQ+ communities all month long.
Landmark events of any Pride Toronto, virtual live stream editions of Trans Pride and the Dyke March will take place on June 25 and June 26, respectively, and the Family Pride event celebrating the strength of 2SLGBTQ+ families and children promises a fun-filled hour-long online event on June 20.
Routinely drawing more than one million attendees to Toronto, the month-long celebrations will cap off with one of Toronto’s biggest annual events, the Pride Parade on June 27.
You know her name: It’s Priyanka! The first-ever winner of Canada’s Drag Race will host this year’s virtual hour-long Toronto Pride Parade online with special guests and headline performers including Toronto’s own goth-pop superstar Allie X, Juno Award-nominated urban Indigenous two-spirited performer iskwē, Nathan Nichols, Gary Beals, dance group CFlava, and DJ Kow.

Work On Your Wellness

As a proud supporter of Pride Toronto for the 4th year in a row, Metrolinx is once again partnering with the organization to support the local Toronto community of queer creators as well as reaffirming a continuing commitment to “Ride With Pride”. Celebrating the 2021 theme “Pride Rolls On”, Metrolinx is dedicated in supporting our 2SLGBTQ+ customers and staff through our year-round Pride 365 initiative, as well as through a robust internal Inclusion Strategy. This year, Metrolinx invites everyone to take some well-deserved “me time” by shining the spotlight on self-care through Pride’s free Wellness Wednesdays workshops which will guide participants through the ins and outs of meditation, yoga and movement during Pride Month.

Get Your Pride Party On

Did someone say party? Pride Toronto has you covered! Local Toronto music stars including the Juno-nominated Storry, R&B duo TRP.P and hip-hop/soul singer-songwriter Shi Wisdom are among this year’s headline performers bringing their unique sounds to Pride. Canada’s Drag Race contestant Tynomi Banks will host the closing night party Revolution with Chromatic, DJ A$h Banks, and Wisdom, while another Canada’s Drag Race alum BOA will host the annual Toronto Drag Ball featuring the city’s finest and fiercest drag kings and queens.
Get ready to party online with the 23rd edition of Blockorama: “Black Is Love”, by volunteer collective Blackness Yes! who are once again ready to celebrate the Black community with drag, ballroom, and musical performances. Meanwhile, dancehall and soca lovers can get down at Yes Yes Y’All hosted by R&B singer Ebhoni, and virtually join the party with Strapped which has been dubbed “the city’s sexiest queer party” for queer women and non-binary people of colour.
More all-digital party experiences throughout Pride Month include Lavender, the ultimate event for LGBTQ+ women, non-binary, trans and people of all marginalized genders, while party collective New Ho Queen are here to spread queer Asian love with NHTV Pride, and Catalyst streams a two-spirit and Indigiqueer variety show with special guests including Adrienne Huard, Andayah Laramee, Candy Blair and MX Wolverine.

Support Local Church-Wellesley Gay Village Vendors

Worth a visit on every trip to Toronto, the heart of Pride Toronto is The Village centred at Church Street and Wellesley Street, a pleasant 3km stroll from UP Express or GO Transit Union Station, or one-stop ride on TTC subway from Union Station. Home to 2SLGBTQ+ restaurants, bars, businesses, artists, vendors, and community services, this year’s Pride will feature the first-ever curated Virtual StreetFair and Queer Shopping Channel live stream to support local Toronto queer-run businesses.

Dialogue, Activism And Discussion

While looking to the past, the 40th edition of Pride Toronto is preparing for the future with this year’s Youth Conference theme “Courageous Conversations” which aims to equip youth with knowledge and actionable items they can take back to their schools to create change and open dialogue for a queer future and anti-racist society.
Live streamed via YouTube and IGTV, other panels and discussion topics include ageism and visibility issues facing seniors as well as the effects of oppression and systemic barriers in the Human Rights’ panel Age and Access: An Intergenerational Conversation with 2SLGBTQ+ seniors. Plus, Pride Toronto’s Black Queer and Trans Excellence podcast host Hollywood Jade will moderate the panel Black Solidarity: A Transnational Conversation on Unity and Decolonization.
On June 21, the 2021 Indigenous People’s Day Showcase will feature a circle discussion led by Elder Blu Waters with Indigiqueer leaders from Two-Spirited People of the First Nations Leadership Building Initiative, as well as traditional Anishinaabe singing and dancing.

Live Free Toronto Pride Activities And Events

Did you know the ArQuives is the largest independent LGBTQ2+ archive in the world? If you knew that, then it’s time to show off your queer trivia knowledge during the month of June through live online trivia over Zoom with the ArQuives. Then, keep your trivia mojo pumping with sexual health and consent educator and TV personality Samantha Bitty as she hosts Sexy Sexual Health Trivia on YouTube and IGTV.
We might be missing the days of Toronto’s monthly Drag Bingo events at the Glad Day Bookshop in person, but now it’s time to get your virtual bingo dabbers ready. Drag queen Devine Darlin will host a free online bingo day on June 9.
Check the Toronto Pride Guide for a complete lineup of events from June 1 through 27th. Happy Pride, Toronto!

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