Toronto's Pride month kicks off. Here's what to expect

Julia Alevato · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 01, 2025 5:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 6 minutes ago

Pride Month kicks disconnected June 1 successful Toronto, and the metropolis volition beryllium filled with events celebrating the 2SLGBTQ+ community. 

As the largest Pride solemnisation successful Canada, the city's yearly events attract millions of visitors each year. 

From emblem raising ceremonies to the large Pride Parade weekend, Pride Toronto's enforcement manager Kojo Modeste says determination are events for everyone. 

"We person a lineup that is going to beryllium spectacular, that's going to observe the 2SLGBTQ+ community, but volition besides nonstop a precise beardown connection that we are each in, that we are present and we are present to stay," Modeste told CBC Toronto. 

Modeste says this year's Pride period volition item the transgender and non-binary community, and that it's important to usage Pride arsenic a level for visibility, education, and advocacy.

"We're precise deliberate to truly showcase that the 2SLGBTQ+ assemblage stands with the trans assemblage due to the fact that we person seen the attacks that person been directed particularly to our trans siblings," said Modeste.

According to data from Statistics Canada, police-reported hatred crimes targeting intersexual orientation, enactment and sex accrued each twelvemonth from 2019 to 2023. 

Pride Toronto is moving with metropolis agencies to guarantee the events remain safe for everyone, says Modeste. 

"At Pride Toronto, we instrumentality information of some the participants oregon assemblage visitors precise seriously," said Modeste. "Pride has a way grounds of being a harmless lawsuit and we are going to beryllium maintaining that."

Pride events to observe Canadian talent 

Modeste says Pride Toronto volition person a 99 per cent Canadian lineup to nonstop retired a connection astir section representation.

This year's Pride Toronto theme, "All In," is meant to celebrate the metropolis and reflect the halfway values of Canadians, Modeste adds.

Throughout the period of June, the festival volition showcase implicit 400 performers, 8 stages and implicit 300 hours of programming. 

The enforcement manager of the Church and Wellesley Village BIA, Jaret Sereda, says Pride events bring plenty of visitors to the area, which successful crook helps section businesses.

"We emotion the accrued ft traffic," Sereda told CBC. "We privation to enactment each our section businesses and we promote everybody to store local."

The Church and Wellesley Village BIA volition big its 11th yearly VillageFest from June 20 to June 22. 

Sereda says this year's festival has been revamped, and volition instrumentality spot successful the parking batch crossed from Woody's and SAILOR restaurant. 

He says the amusement volition beryllium filled with Canadian endowment and is encouraging radical to be it and enactment it. 

"It doesn't substance what sexuality you explicit and who you are. We invitation everybody. This is an lawsuit for everyone," helium said. 

City events

The metropolis has provided the full database of Pride events. Here are some of them: 

Flag-Raising events: 

• Mayor Olivia Chow, Members of Council and representatives from Pride Toronto will footwear disconnected Toronto's Pride period at Nathan Phillips Square connected June 2 astatine 5 p.m. with performances by Sanjina DaBish Queen, Trash Panda Brass, Tempo Choir & DJ Blackcat.
• North York Civic Centre Flag-Raising connected June 4 astatine 9 a.m.
• Etobicoke Flag-Raising astatine Montgomery's Inn on June 4 astatine 4 p.m.
• Scarborough Civic Centre Flag-Raising astatine Albert Campbell Square connected June 5 astatine 9 a.m.

Nathan Phillips Square events:

• Pride Toronto's Opening Night connected June 27 astatine 6 p.m. Attendees tin expect a lineup of 2SLGBTQ+ creation artists including Rebecca Black, Kiesza, Priyanka and Singing Out Choir.
• Pride Toronto's Drag Ball connected June 28 from 2 p.m. to midnight. The resistance lawsuit volition instrumentality with implicit 70 resistance acts from Canada and beyond.
• Pride Toronto's Closing Night connected June 29 astatine 2 p.m. Pride Parade volition adjacent retired the nighttime with a enactment astatine Nathan Phillips Square.

Street events:

• Gay History Walk astatine Church-Wellesley Neighbourhood connected June 6, 12 and 20 astatine 2 p.m.
• St. Lawrence Market Street Pride astatine Market Street connected June 22 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Church Street Pride Fair connected Church Street connected June 27 to 29.
• Trans March connected Church Street connected June 27. People volition rally astatine 7 p.m. and march astatine 8 p.m.
• Dyke March connected Church Street connected June 28. People volition rally astatine 1 p.m. and march astatine 2 p.m.
• Pride Parade from Church and Bloor Streets to Nathan Phillips Square connected June 29 from 2 to 6 p.m.

Family and younker events:

• Drag Story Time with Gila Münster at the Toronto Botanical Garden connected June 1 astatine 11 a.m.
• TRANScendTO at Toronto Metropolitan University Student Centre connected June 6 astatine 12 p.m.
• Family Pride astatine Church St. Public School on June 28 and 29 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Youth Pride astatine Church St. Public School on June 28 astatine 6 p.m.