Celebrate the history, courage and diversity of Toronto’s Two Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Questioning (2SLGBTQ+) communities throughout June with events produced and supported by the City of Toronto. The City supports organizations such as Pride Toronto and The 519, that work year-round to address the unique challenges facing Toronto’s 2SLGBTQ+ communities.
In the spirit of love and inclusivity, experience Pride Month in a way that feels right for you.
Registration is not required for any City of Toronto flag-raising event.
Tuesday, May 26 at 9 a.m.
Etobicoke Civic Centre
399 The West Mall
Tuesday, May 26 at 12:30 p.m.
Mel Lastman Square
5100 Yonge St.
Thursday, May 28 at 9 a.m.
Albert Campbell Square
150 Borough Dr.
Join the City of Toronto on June 1 for a flag raising celebration marking Pride Month. Hear from Mayor Olivia Chow, Members of Council and representatives from Pride Toronto.
Monday, June 1 at 5 p.m.
Nathan Phillips Square (podium roof at the top of the ramp)
100 Queen St. W.
Celebrate Pride and enjoy the Farmers’ Market Festival at this unique museum.
Wednesday, June 3, 2 to 6 p.m.
Monday, June 1, evening
See the TORONTO Sign illuminated in rainbow colours.
Friday, June 26, 6 to 11 p.m.
Enjoy a fabulous lineup of 2SLGBTQ+ performers and DJs including Bob The Drag Queen, LSDXOXO, Miss Bashful, MkX, Ralph and more. Learn more and buy tickets.
Saturday June 27, 2 to 11 p.m.
The biggest drag event of the year returns with more than 70 drag acts from Canada and beyond, including drag artists from RuPaul’s Drag Race, Canada’s Drag Race, King of Drag, Slaycation, Call Me Mother and more. Learn more and buy tickets.
Sunday June 28, 2 to 11 p.m.
Close out the Pride Parade with a party and dance the afternoon away to the hottest house grooves and disco tracks, followed by evening performances by cutting edge musicians Austra, Tanya Tagaq and Gloria Groove. Learn more and buy tickets.
June 23, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Market Street (beside St. Lawrence Market South building).
Feast on fresh food and fabulous festivities with drag superstar Tynomi Banks, DJs and a sensational lineup of 2SLGBTQ+ performers. Grab a bite to eat and take it all in along Market Street. Learn more.
June 26 to 28
Church Street from Bloor Street to Dundas Street East.
Experience more than 200 incredible vendors, live music, interactive experiences and a welcoming vibe that brings people together to explore, connect and celebrate. Learn more.
Friday, June 26, 5 to 7 p.m.
Church Street starting at Hayden Steet.
Honour Transgender, Non-Binary and Two-Spirit identities while raising awareness and advocating for human rights. Learn more.
Saturday, June 27, 1 to 3 p.m.
Church Street from Hayden Street to Gould Street.
March loud and proud through the streets of Toronto. While this event is specifically for Dykes and Lesbians, allies are welcome to join. Allies are kindly asked to leave space at the front during the march for Dykes and Lesbians to lead the celebration. Learn more.
Sunday, June 28, 2 to 6 p.m.
The parade runs down Yonge Street, beginning at Bloor Street (near Rosedale Valley Road) and concluding near Bay Street and Queen Street.
Join more than 25,000 marchers and 250 groups, including City of Toronto staff and members of Council, for a vibrant display of pride, strength and solidarity in the heart of Toronto. Learn more.
Open daily. The last ferry to the mainland departs at 11 p.m.
Enjoy a day out at one of Canada’s oldest surviving queer spaces, which includes a clothing-optional beach. In 2024, Hanlan’s Point was adorned with a 600-metre rainbow pathway titled The Long Walk to Equality, a public art piece by Travis Myers that that pays homage to the queer history of this significant site. Learn more.
June 25 to 29, 1 or 5 p.m. to midnight
Barbara Hall Park at 519 Church St. (site of The 519)
Experience an exceptional lineup of world-class DJs, legendary music producers, extraordinary Queer performers, drag royalty and more at this series of outdoor parties. Entry is by donation and all funds raised go to facilitating year-round programs and services The 519, Canada’s largest 2SLGBTQ+ community centre. Learn more.
Thursday, June 25, noon to 8:30 p.m.
Location to be shared with registered participants in advance and released publicly a few days before the event for those who would like to drop in.
Make new connections, join a workshop and develop skills at this unique community event. Speak with local healthcare organizations about topics such as gender-affirming care, learn about 2SLGBTQ+ programs and discover a variety of community services. Enjoy free food and a Kiki Ball, where you can walk the runway or simply cheer on the contestants. Learn more.
Saturday & Sunday, June 27 & 28, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Church Street Public School, 83 Alexander St.
Family Pride offers a vibrant environment where parents, caregivers and children (up to age 12) can connect, play and celebrate. Expect a weekend of music, storytelling, arts and crafts, interactive performances and family-friendly entertainment. Learn more
Saturday, June 27, 6 to 10 p.m.
Church Street Public School, 83 Alexander St.
Take part in a gathering to celebrate youth resilience, authenticity and community. Youth Pride features drag, live vocals, dance and boundary-pushing performances by emerging 2SLGBTQI+ youth talent. Learn more.
Sunday, June 28, 4 to 6:30 p.m.
Come together with 2-Spirited People of the 1st Nations and Pride Toronto for an enriching community gathering, including performances and a Two-Spirit artists’ market. Learn more.
10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Find the rainbow path and enjoy rainbow photo ops, colouring, activities and more. Free with general admission. Learn more and buy tickets.
7 to 8 p.m.
Join an incredible roster of performers including Juice Boxx, Batty Banks, Minhi Wang, Lena Di Matrix and Manny Dingo for a fun night of lip syncs and laughs. Learn more and buy tickets.
Explore the reading lists and programs, including Rainbow and Drag Performer Storytimes, book clubs, film screenings and more. Learn more.
It is important to recognize that 2SLGBTQ+ people have existed throughout human history and across all cultures. European and Christian colonization of many parts of the world imposed their views onto the peoples they colonized. This included prescribing strict heterosexual and male-female gender standards. As is the case with many non-mainstream groups in society, 2SLGBTQ+ people are often singled out and persecuted.
The North American 2SLGBTQ+ rights movement that shapes modern understanding of 2SLGBTQ+ people was part of many social justice movements that pushed back against power structures starting in the middle of the 20th century.
The practical and symbolic social justice milestones shared below illustrate the correcting of wrongs, not the giving of extra rights. As an example, Canadians over the age of 50 lived during a time where police could arrest, jail and convict an adult for their private behaviours within their own homes.
While progress has been made, 2SLGBTQ+ people still face a great deal of inequity and exclusion today in Canada and around the world.
1971: Toronto’s first “Gay Day Picnic” was held at Hanlan’s Point Beach on the Toronto Islands on August 1 and was organized by a group of gay and lesbian activists.
1981: Four bathhouses in Toronto are raided by the Toronto Police Service in Operation Soap. The event is now considered one of the crucial turning points in Toronto, and Canadian, 2SLGBTQ+ history, as it led to demonstrations, protests and community activism. The protest march is generally recognized as the first Toronto Pride event.
1991: Toronto City Council officially proclaimed Pride Day (part of anti-discriminatory measures). Kyle Rae is elected as the first openly gay member of Toronto City Council.
1993: Rainbow Flag is first raised on the courtesy flagpole and Pride Week is proclaimed and presented as part of the ceremony to Pride Toronto.
1995: Barbara Hall becomes the first Toronto Mayor to march in Pride Parade
2000: Women’s Bathhouse Raid: an all-female Pussy Palace party held at Club Toronto in September was raided by six male police officers.
2003: The City of Toronto adopts a new Vision Statement on Access, Equity and Diversity that reads in part “…the City will create an environment of equality in the government and in the community for all people regardless of their race, ancestry, place of origin, colour, ethnic origin, disability, citizenship, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, same sex partnership, age, marital status, family status, immigrant status, receipt of public assistance, political affiliation, religious affiliation, level of literacy, language and/or socio-economic status.”
2005: On the 25th anniversary of Toronto’s Pride Week, Bill Blair becomes the first Toronto Chief of Police to participate in the parade.
2010: Kristyn Wong-Tam is elected as the first openly lesbian and racialized member of Toronto City Council.
2014: The City of Toronto hosts World Pride in June (making Toronto the first City in North America to host World Pride). The Rainbow Flag flies at Toronto City Hall to protest anti-gay laws in Russia in relation to the 2014 Winter Olympics.
2015: Toronto hosts the first ever Pride House at a Pan American Games event.
2016: Toronto Police Chief Mark Saunders issues an official statement of regret for the Operation Soap raids of 1981. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau marches in Toronto’s Pride parade, becoming the first PM of Canada to attend a Pride event. The Toronto chapter of Black Lives Matter stages a sit-in as the honoured group of the parade, demanding more funding to events for racialized people at Pride, and removal of police presence as participants in future Pride festivals in Toronto.
2017: Toronto Police Service raised the Rainbow Flag over its headquarters.
2019: Toronto City Council approves the formation of an 2SLGBTQ+ Council Advisory Body.
2014: The Rainbow Flag is first flown as an exceptional case. The Rainbow Flag also flew during the Sochi Olympic games in February of that same year (the subject of a special motion in the House).
2015: The House approved a motion which added the Rainbow Flag to the list of approved flags – making it an annual event. As per this motion the Rainbow Flag is flown for the duration of Pride week.
2016: The Transgender Flag was first flown in November to mark Transgender Day of Awareness.
2017: The Rainbow Flag, with the Transgender Flag underneath it, was flown during pride week. This is the only time on which two flags were flown from the same pole. Staff initially denied the request as it runs counter to accepted flag protocol but were overruled by the 3 political parties. The Transgender flag was also flown in November.
1969: Canada decriminalizes homosexual acts between consenting adults with the passage of the Criminal Law Amendment Act (received Royal Assent on June 27).
1987: Sexual orientation is included in the Ontario Human Rights Code as a prohibited ground of discrimination.
2003: Ontario’s Court of Appeal rules that the Canadian law on traditional marriage is unconstitutional. Ontario becomes the first jurisdiction in North America to do so and becomes the first city in North America to perform same-sex marriages.
2005: Canada legalizes same-sex marriage.
2012: Ontario includes gender identity and gender expression as protected grounds under the Ontario Human Rights Code.
2016: Canada includes gender identity and gender expression as protected grounds under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The Rainbow Flag was first raised on a temporary flagpole on Parliament Hill June 1.
2017: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau offers a formal apology in the House of Commons to 2SLGBTQ+ people affected by Canadian policies between 1950 and 1990 including civil servants, military members and criminalized Canadians who endured discrimination and injustice based on their sexual orientation. The Pride Flag was raised on June 14 to mark the passage of Bill C 16 by the Senate. In addition, the Transgender Flag and the Canada Rainbow 150 flag were also raised.
2018: Flag-Raising Ceremony for Pride Month on June 20 on the Front Lawn Parliament Hill with the Prime Minister.