Northern Ontario celebrates its 2SLGBTQI+ community this summer. Here's your calendar for everything Pride-related in the region.
By Courtney Edgar
Courtney Edgar is an award-winning Canadian travel & lifestyle journalist and writer.
February 2, 2023
Pride Month is here! Events for 2023 are in full swing and it's time to plan your celebrations. Here's a list of pride month celebrations of 2SLGBTQI+ rights, freedoms, equality, and visibility in our Northern Ontario communities.
If you have a Northern Ontario Pride Month event, website, or listing you'd like us to include, please send us an email at info@northernontario.travel.
Elliott Lake will be kicking off their Pride festivities a little earlier than others. Starting from late May, you’ll find a full month of Pride-themed events celebrating this town’s LGBTQI+ community. First, there will be the Serpent River First Nation parade and BBQ on May 27, then a flag-raising ceremony on Monday and a men’s brunch on Tuesday and a women’s brunch on Wednesday. Throughout June you can attend a purge presentation, karaoke night, “Blingo,” Pride motorcade and even a Second Chance prom. Learn more here.
June 1, August 4-13 2023 Sioux Lookout Pride Sioux Lookout, ON
The municipality is hosting the pride flag and declaring June as 2SLGBTQ+ Pride Month on June 1 at 10 am. During the Sioux Lookout Blueberry Festival, Sioux Lookout will be having its annual Pride March—check back for events and information on the Blueberry Festival website.
Starting with a Pride Your Pet and a flag-raising ceremony on June 1, the Dryden Pride will let you include your furry friends in the celebration. You can also attend a Dryden Pride Celebration on June 24. Get more info about all the activities by clicking here.
The flag-raising and Pride proclamation will open the 2023 Pride celebrations in this northern Ontario town. Take part in these events on the steps of Timmins City Hall. This will be their 10th annual Pride rally and parade. Keep up to date with their plans here.
Throughout June 2023 Borderland Pride Rainy River District, ON, Koochiching County, MN, and the southeast of Treaty #3 territory.
This cross-border Pride organization has a host of events planned for June. The Passport to Pride March will be June 10 at International Falls/Fort Frances. Or check out SPLASH! Drag Show + Splash Park Fundraiser also on June 10. Follow their Facebook page for more events and updates.
Get ready for a jam-packed month of Pride activities in Thunder Bay this year. The first three days, from June 1-3, you can enjoy a sunrise ceremony, a flag raising and a pool party. This will be followed by Pride awareness breakfast, glitter ball and an allyship town hall by June 15. In the second half of the month, you can take part in a march, a street fest, Pride After Dark, story time, and a retro dance party. Closing out a colourful Pride month, don’t miss the drag show on June 25 and the two-spirit pow wow on June 29. See all the details of Thunder Bay’s busy Pride itinerary here.
This will be an important year for Pride in West Nipissing. The community will be holding its first Pride Parade on June 10. They’re getting started on planning now and are looking for more residents to sign up for a float. You can learn more about the parade or get involved here.
The second annual Temiskaming Shores Pride March will take place on the waterfront in New Liskeard, Friday June 16 at 7:00 pm. According to the organizers, details are still being finalized, but the plan is to begin and end at the ballpark end of the waterfront boardwalk. Come for a casual, fun evening filled with happy people.
On the weekend of July 8-9, organizers will be holding a Two Spirit Powwow. Pride Week itself is immediately after the Powwow, beginning Monday, July 10 through Sunday, July 16. The main event, our Pride in the Park and Pride March, will be on Saturday, July 15. Check the Fierté Sudbury Pride Facebook page for more details.
From July 16 to July 24, there will be several Pride activities here. Start the festivities with the Rotary parade on July 16. Then on the 17th take part in the Family Fun Day, as well as the Flag Raising and Pride Walk. On July 18, there will be a Pride clothing drive and a five-day YMCA Pride Camp. From the 20th onward there will be a fashion show and BBQ, a Bingo night, and then Pride dance, rainbow run, drag show and Rainbow brunch in the closing days. See more here.
Check back for more updates on Pride events in the following communities:
This year, Pride Month—which takes place in June—is back. Events are in full swing and it's time to plan your celebrations. Here's a list of pride month celebrations of LGBTQI+ rights, freedoms, equality, and visibility.
June 1 and 4 2022
West Nipissing Pride Flag Raising Ceremony and Pride Vendors Market
West Nipissing, ON
The West Nipissing flag raising ceremony to kick off Pride month will be held on June 1. A few days later, a Pride-themed community pop-up market is scheduled in Sturgeon Falls. Both are free to attend. The market will feature local vendors, live music by local talent and face painting. The Pride Market is held from 10:00 am - 3:00 pm at 96 Main St. West. Learn more about this Pride event by clicking here.
For five days, the KLUB 2SLGBTQ+ Community Centre is holding free Pride events. On Wednesday evening, Candlelight Yoga and Live Music starts at 7 p.m. The next evening, on June 2, take part in Paint Night. Friday evening is Youth Night (Rainbow Klub). For the Baawaating Pride weekend, starting at noon each day, go to the Beach BBQ on Saturday and the Family Pride Festival on Sunday. You can sign up and learn more details by clicking here.
July 17-24 2022
Sault Ste. Marie Pridefest 2022
Sault Ste. Marie, ON
The Sault Pride committee is hosting its ninth annual Pridefest the week of July 17-24. The fun and games start with the Rotary Parade float on Saturday, July 16, followed by the flag-raising at city hall and Pride Walk. There will be a Loud & Proud Family Fun day at the Bushplane Museum on Sunday, as well as a Pride Bingo, a Rainbow Brunch, a Pride Dance, and more. The official calendar with details will be released soon. Keep up to date here.
June 4 2022
Thunder Bay Pride Month
Thunder Bay, ON
There may not be a parade this year at Thunder Bay’s Pride month of hybrid programming, but there are a wide variety of activities planned to remind Pride-goers of the pre-pandemic days of yore. Thunder Pride and the Rainbow Collective of Thunder Bay partnered in the planning, along with the new Good and Co. Market. To get the party started on June 4, the month of Pride will open with a drum circle at the Spirit Gardens. That night, there will be a pre-Pride party at the Red Lion Smoke House. Throughout the month, you can look forward to: a unicorn glitter ball, a street festival, a Pride pool party, a hybrid games night and a storytime event with drag queens at the library. The Pride Street Festival will be held on June 18th. There are also many virtual activities. See all the Thunder Bay Pride Month events here.
Thunder Pride also provides year-round resources to queer locals and allies, including an anti-oppression toolkit, plus links to mental health and sexual health counselling resources and support groups.
For more information on Pride in Thunder Bay visit: thunderpride.ca
Kicking off a fun-filled pride season, Elliot Lake Pride opted to hold its annual event early and virtually due to continuing restrictions on gatherings. Luckily, if you missed the show, you can still watch their 45-minute video coverage any time by clicking here. Doug Elliot, former Emperor of Algoma, emceed the event, which featured video performances from drag queen Lady Anya Face and Elliot Lake Pride supporter Miss Conception, as well as comedy from Martha Chaves. The event even included a message from the world’s oldest performing drag queen - Michelle DuBarry. Later in the month, from June 24-26, Elliot Lake Pride will hold its annual festival for the first time in two years. This should include a flag-raising ceremony, workshops, pub crawls and parade. More details will be announced soon, so stay tuned here.
Borderland Prideis an organization representing the Rainy River District in Northwestern Ontario as well as the Koochiching Country in Northern Minnesota. There are a ton of events in June to choose from include an evening with Brock McGillis, the NHL's first openly gay hockey player, as well as a pride breakfast on June 7th, and a screening of “Sweetheart Dancers,” a short film about a two-spirit couple, which will take place on June 8th at noon. The 2022 parade will take place on Saturday, June 11, 12:30 PM, and will start at the Fort Frances Public Library. Not to be missed is a performance by CHOIR! CHOIR! CHOIR! on June 11th at 1 pm at Rainy Lake Square. Get your free tickets here.
Starting with a flag-raising ceremony on June 1 at city hall and ending on June 30 with the second day of a Safer Spaces training, the Dryden Pride month is chockful of activities. There are 11 days of events scheduled. Ongoing throughout the month, there is a photo contest and a pride scavenger hunt. Watch a sponsored movie at the Sunset Drive-in on June 2, attend a button and magnet making workshop on June 9, poster-making workshop on June 23 and a “Rad Trivia Night” at the Best Western on June 28. Amidst all these activities and more, don’t forget the Pride March on June 25. Get more info by clicking here.
While there are not many details announced yet for Timmins Pride, we do know that it will be held in September 2022. For the first time in two years, Pride Week will return a bit later in the summer than other towns in the region, but that is great because you can be sure to attend more of them that way. The week begins with a flag-raising ceremony and ends with a rally, parade and drag show that Saturday. You’ll be able to find more Timmins Pride Week updates by clicking here.
June 1 and 25 2022
Kenora Pride Flag Raising (and other Pride activities)
Kenora, ON
The rainbow flag will be raised at noon at Kenora City Hall on June 1. Then, on June 25, Kenora Pride March will be starting at The Muse on Main Street at 2 p.m. Marchers will be walking to Huskie the Muskie mascot, followed by a BBQ at Anishinaabe Park. Later that evening (June 25), at Mt. Evergreen Ski Hill, a drive-in screening of Rocket Man starts at 9:30 p.m. sharp. To learn more about the details of these events, click here.
July 11-17 2022
Greater Sudbury Pride Week 2022
Sudbury, ON
Throughout the week of July 11 to July 17, Sudbury will be celebrating Pride with the return of in-person events. The Pride Parade March is scheduled for Saturday, July 16. Stay tuned for more details here.
September 14-17 2022
North Bay Pride
North Bay, ON
Another late-summer Pride week, North Bay is celebrating with four days in mid-September. It begins with a flag-raising and mayor debate on Wednesday, followed by a drag show on Thursday and a Pride-themed boat cruise on the Friday. The colourful celebrations come to a close with the North Bay Pride parade and a concert held on Laurentian Ski Hill on Saturday, September 17. North Bay Pride says they are not permitted to announce the concert headliners this early in the season, but you can stay tuned for those specific updates by following along here.
OUTLoud North Bay is hosting its first annual Amazing Drag Race on Sept 10th at the North Bay waterfront 10 am. Please check out their page for further details.
The schedule for 2022 Manitoulin Pride events and activities is still being finalized however the dates are indeed set. From August 19-21, you'll be able to celebrate love in all its forms. Festivities begin with the flag-raising ceremony that Friday in Little Current at 6:30 p.m. Additionally, the Manitoulin Pride parade is set for the Sunday that weekend. Be sure to follow Pride Manitoulin for more details as the dates get closer.
plan your pride celebrations now!
From everyone here in Northern Ontario, we wish you a happy, supportive, and safe Pride Month. If you have a Northern Ontario Pride Month event, website, or listing you'd like us to include, please send us an email.
About Courtney Edgar
Courtney Edgar is an award-winning Canadian travel & lifestyle journalist and writer. Her journalism has been published in: Huff Post, PopSugar, Canadian Traveller, Explore Mag, Arctic Focus, Ottawa Business Journal, Herizons Mag, Ownr, This Mag, Nunatsiaq News, and more. Some of her writing and photography work has been purchased and published by provincial and territorial government travel departments, as well as Canadian and international travel and wellness lifestyle businesses.
