OK, I realize Toronto Pride is not really a TO Cityscape, per se, but it’s a major event that shakes up the city once a year, so I think it’s worthy of coverage.
Love it or hate it, Pride was back for another year, despite a $900,000.00 shortfall of cash – a result of some of the major investors backing out due to the current idiocy happening down south. ANYWAY…. it was still a great party this past weekend.
Yours truly was too vain/stupid/stubborn to wear a hat for the events (it’ll mess my ‘do!) so, of course, I ended up with an intense facial/forehead sunburn. As a result, my wandering was somewhat curtailed over the weekend and I didn’t quite capture the allotment of shots I normally get on a Pride weekend.
At any rate, here’s a few photos to give you an idea of the weekend’s events:
Local Businesses
Area businesses and offices showed their support, as always:
The windows at Dudley’s Hardware (511 Church St.) are always an excellent barometer of what’s happening in the village. This weekend was no exception:
Festival Grounds
Wandering around the general area of Church Street on Pride Weekend, you’re bound to see anything:
Drag Ball 2025, Nathan Phillips Square
And, of course, we can’t forget the Drag Queens and Kings. The Drag Ball ran from 2:00PM to 11:00PM on Saturday, June 28th, one act immediately following another with no break between. The energy at this event was simply electric, and the weather actually behaved itself and delivered a perfect day:
I leave you with this performance by Lena Di Matrix, shot just before I left City Hall. It exhausts me just watching this. Drag artists, I salute you!:
Nice to see and thanks for the pics Marvin. Always odd for us here in NB to think about the many, many years that we were surrounded by Pride. Though you get old and a bit jaded, maybe, it always meant something to me. I remember the odd feeling of walking to work the day after Pride, when everything was back to normal, and seeing maybe a bit of glitter on the sidewalk on Yonge Street, and how sad it felt that it was over.
Well put, Bob. Although Pride has changed a lot over the years and none of us are any younger, it’s still a special occasion to me (at least) – it’s our weekend, dammit! I love your mention of post-event glitter on the sidewalk. The day after Pride always puts me in mind of that old Melissa Manchester song: “Baby saw that when they pulled that big top down / They left behind her dreams among the litter / And the different kind of love she thought she’d found / There was nothing left but sawdust and some glitter”.
Year after year we get all excited for Pride. Although we are older now and don’t partake in as many events, it is still a wonderful time . Your pictures are always welcome Marvin. Hope the sunburn has faded !
Thanks David! Yep, sunburn is fading slowly… and painfully. Ah, but it was all worth it.