Montreal Prepares to Offer Double The Pride This Summer

Last month I found myself wandering the land of secret bank accounts, gourmet chocolate bars, and fine time pieces for a long weekend when EuroPride 2009 pulled into Zurich, Switzerland. Now I'm trying to finagle my way over the border into our fair northern neighbor, Canada, for one of the two upcoming Gay Pride celebrations taking place in the charming city of Montreal.

The first is the Divers/Cite festival which takes place July 26 to August 2. Divers/Cite used to be Montreal's Gay Pride celebration, but now it serves as a separate LGBT culture festival. Some of the events featured at this year's Divers/Cite include:

• July 26: A "trash and smash" show by Mado Au Casino, at 8 pm at Le Cabaret du Casino de Montreal.

• July 27: A screening of the film Les Chansons d'amour as part of the popular Cinema Dans Le Parc held in Parc LaFontaine.

• July 28: Cabaret de Minuit with Joey Arias

• July 31: A Friends For Life Bike Rally as well as the New Society trance concertwith DJ Insomnia, DJ Wizz, and Infected Mushroom.

• August 1: La Nuit Des Drag; the Sunset Party in Emelie-Gamelin; the Divers/Cite after-hours party featuring DJs David Morales and Peter Rauhofer.
  

Then, two weeks later, Montreal's official Gay Pride celebration is held from August 13 to August 17. Most of the events take place in the city's Gay Village (filled with restaurants, shops, and bars all catering to our kind) and the week ends with the Montreal Gay Pride Parade along blvd. Rene-Levesque. Here's a map showing parade route and events locales.

Daniel from Montreal Tourism recently took to the streets of the city's Gay Village outfitted with a bike and a handy cam duct taped to the top of his helmet to give you an inside look of the neighborhood:

If you want to get a better look at the city, consider checking out Montreal in person during Divers/Cite or Montreal's Gay Pride celebration. For more info and everything you need to plan your escape north, check out Montreal Tourism's website.

-- NOAH MICHELSON

Previously > Zurich hosts EuroPride 2009

Comments

[@Daniel_Baylis]

Canada (and Montreal) thanks you for the shout out!

If you have any questions about gay life in Montreal or how it felt to have duct tape ripped off my face, you can find me here: facebook.com/danielbaylis.

Peace. Yo.