My guide to Fierté Montréal for Pride 2022
Allow me to give you my guide to Fierté Montréal for Pride 2022, this event happening now in our beautiful city, started this past Monday , August 1st and ends this weekend at 11:00 PM, August 7th, Sunday night.
First off I want to thank Fierté Montréal for making such an incredible outdoors and free event, to celebrate the entire 2LSGBTQIA+ community. I also want to thank Best Kept Montreal for being such an open place to write and collaborate with, I feel part of the family even though I am the only 2LSGBTQIA+ member of our team.
When I came out in the 90s, it was a different time, Pride was not celebrated as it is today, it was still mainly a political movement, a form of self-affirming activism to let our presence and humanity be seen and felt.
Today Fierté Montréal, organizes beautiful outdoor events to help us celebrate the beautiful diversity in Montreal, our fabulous city that is greatly enriched by its large 2LSGBTQIA+ community.
So whether this is your first celebration of Fierté Montréal or you are a regular, allow me to suggest a few events that may catch you eye and entice you to go out and discover the rainbow of colors our great city and home has to offer.
A drag show to blow your mind!
On Thursday night, at the Olympic Stadium Park, there is one of the biggest and most elaborate free drag shows happening in the world.
Drag Superstars is the event all the queens have been working hard with their teams to produce, with their dancers and choreographers and their costume designers, planning spectacle after spectacle that is sure to gag and serve.
Hosted by Montreal Canada’s Drag Race Alumni Superstar, the one and only Rita Baga; this drag show extravaganza reunites some of Montreal’s most talented drag queens as well as several international drag superstars.
From Montreal expect to see such legends like Manny, Sasha Baga and Petula Claque. Canada’s Drag Race Alumni Kiara, Pythia and Suki Doll will all be performing too, as well as Canada’s first reigning queen, Priyanka, coming from Toronto.
From British Drag Race you will find the always alluring, Tayce and the second British Drag Race winner, the incomparable Lawrence Chaney.
RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars Season 6 winner, trans superstar Kylie Sonique Love is performing as well and she gives you a show to remember!
Also from RuPaul’s Drag Race, you can find past contestants Jasmine Kennedie, Ra’Jah, Silky and the incredibly beautiful, Nicky Doll, all appearing as well with special numbers planned for Montreal.
This performance will likely be a night to remember with incredible performances that will be breathtaking to behold, expect the drag queens to put you under a spell and seduce you with their queer witchcraft.
Community Days on Friday & Saturday
On Friday, August 5th and Saturday , August 6th, the outdoor event Community Days happens.
During the 2 days, a multitude of community groups, organizations, businesses and various socio-cultural clubs and sports groups will be on hand, on St Catherine Street East , starting at 11:00 AM and ending both days at 6:00 PM.
A great moment to meet new people, mingle with the community and make connections, raise awareness and learn and share with members of the 2LSGBTQIA+ community, in a festive atmosphere, a perfect combination of strolling and learning, having a fun time and getting an education! I got my education!
Friday night Xcellence!
Happening on Friday, August 5th at the Casino de Montréal Stage at the Olymmpic Park Esplanade, Xcellence is an important night and event, to celebrate all BIPOC queer and trans persons and designed as a night that celebrates and applauds all aspects of their lives.
Starting at 4:00 PM expect a diverse group of artists to entertain you and mesmerize you with their performances , and capping off this glorious spectacle is the talented, DJ KidCrayola.
This is another night to come and celebrate the beautiful and diverse culture of our BIPOC queer family and our trans family as well. So come and celebrate your gender identity and gender expression with us.
A Saturday night party to celebrate women!
Feminix is a celebration of women, with only women performers , happening at the Casino de Montréal Stage at the Olympic Park Esplanade. This show, presented by Fido, starts with 2 great DJ sets by DJ Sam and DJ Kris Tin starting at 4:00 PM, until 7:00 PM.
Afterwards the live show begins featuring the amazing vocal talents of Laura Niquay, Calamine, Sarahmee and Montreal superstar Ariane Moffat to close the show.
Online movies to get you in the Pride spirit
Image + Nation@FIERTÉ All That We Are, is a specially curated selection of short films available on August 7th, here.
Image+Nation have several themes with different films appearing over the several days of the entire Fierté Montréal August event.
I am very blessed to appear on the mini film Ballroom Boudoir, directed and edited by Frigid, featuring his original music , this film was made with images from Stephen Lareign Hues, featuring members of the House of Pride, my artistic collective and 2LSGBTQIA+ family.
I can’t recommend watching these short films enough, every one of these separate productions, are labors of love, made with the intention of self-expression and strengthening the dialogue of our collective queer voices.
This art form of queer short films, help to shape our beautifully diverse 2LSGBTQIA+ culture, one that we hope will be without hate and discrimination one day.
Image+Nation is a festival happening each fall, I highly recommend following their programming as they always present an interesting and diverse selections of films.
Also, check out Frigid‘s line of organic, handcrafted, beauty products, 7 Deadly Soaps and read more about it, here.
Sunday parade, party and closing show!
The Pride Parade/Défilé de la fierté, is a joyous celebration of love, self-expression and recognition for the many realities and challenges that members of the 2LSGBTQIA+ commnutiy live with.
We come together and watch the various groups and organizations that celebrate us, our queerness and it is a celebration of freedom, the freedom to be who you want to be, to be who you’re meant to be; yourself!
Below is the map of the parade , allowing Montrealers to line up all along the trajectory and enjoy the floats, the dancers, the wild fun of the Pride Parade and celebrate with the 2LSGBTQIA+ members of the community.
Mundo Disko is the dance tribute to one of Montreal and Quebec’s most influential DJs Robert Ouimet, who greatly contributed to the popularity of disco music here. DJ Robert Ouimet was a regular at the Fierté Montréal Pride scene and to commemorate his passing, Fierté Montréal has a great line up of DJs to keep you dancing late until 11:00 PM Sunday night, in honor of this iconic DJ.
With DJ Michel Simard of Limelight, DJ B’Ugo, Charles Poulin, Lost Heroes and VJ Boycott on hand to keep the party grooving along with that disco boogie fever.
The T-Dance and Closing Show, is an established ritual in Montreal, for many members of Montreal’s 2LSGBTQIA+ community, as well as the tourists and visitors and people of the city, it’s a place to come together to dance and celebrate one last time in the name of Pride and be thankful for all the hard work of Fierté Montréal.
Always wild and full of people, the music is nonstop all day and the party just fills up continuously once the Défilé de la fierté is over.
The T-Dance and Closing Show features a stellar line up of DJs, this party packs a punch and there is usually a large , elaborate final drag number to close the night, celebrating drag culture, one of the world’s premier 2LSGBTQIA+ art styles.
This T-Dance and Closing Show promises to be quite something with a closing show by Brazilian Drag Superstar, Pablo Vittar!
The T-Dance and Closing Show is the culmination and final celebration of Fierté Montréal‘s week of festivities. A definite last stop before a return to the usual workflow come Monday morning, dance your stress away and enjoy one of the biggest outdoor dance parties in the city.
Before the party ends
Bear in mind, this selection only reflects a portion of what Fierté Montréal has to offer this summer for the festivities happening in our great city during Montreal’s Pride week.
I highly recommend those of you attending to download their application , here. Otherwise, please consult their full list of programming, here.
Montréal, I love you, Happy Pride and Bonne Fierté Montréal et merci!
