Montreal Pride Festival Unveils Schedule of Events
The Montreal Pride Festival (also known as Fietré Montréal) has officially unveiled its schedule of events. The festivities will be presented by TD in collaboration with Casino de Montreal and will culminate on August 7 with the Pride Parade, sponsored by Air Canada. The parade will feature four Grand Marshalls: Dr. Bertrand Lebouché of Canada for research in HIV and STI screening, Joseph Messinga Ngonka of Cameroon for activism in French-speaking African territories, Midnight Poonkasetwattana of Thailand for LGBTQ advocacy in the Asia-Pacific region and Laura Niquay of Canada, an Atikamekw singer-songwriter.
“The Montreal Pride Festival promises to bring together an ever wider and more diverse audience with an array of exceptional artists,” said Chris Ngabonziza, Director of Programming. Nine large-scale shows will be presented free of charge during the week on the Esplanade of the Olympic Park as listed below.
The Opening Show: Legend in the Making
The opening show on Wednesday, August 3 at 7 p.m. promises to be memorable. Taking place on the TD Stage it will bring together the phenomenal Congolese-born Montréal DJ and songwriter Pierre Kwenders, the legendary Diane Dufresne, Les femmes au tambour de Wendake and the Montreal Kiki Ballroom Alliance.
Drag Superstars – The Largest and Most Spectacular Free Drag Show in the Country!
“The return of Drag Superstars has long been awaited. We are very proud to have been able to bring together 18 artists from Canada, the United States, France, and the United Kingdom,” says Chris Ngabonziza. These artists, most of whom participated in RuPaul’s Drag Race and Queen of the Universe franchises, will be joining local drag performers. Rita Baga, proclaimed Montreal’s Queen of Drag on numerous occasions, will host this colorful show on Thursday, August 4th at 8 p.m., on the TD stage.
SuXession – Three Up-and-Coming Women Set the Stage on Fire
Also on Thursday, August 4th at 8 p.m., three local artists will bring the Casino de Montréal stage to life. They are Anachnid, an Oji-Cree artist who won the Félix Award for Indigenous Artist of the Year; Claudia Bouvette, whose Paradise Club album on Bonsound won the Polaris Music Prize, and Zambian-born rapper BackXwash, also known as Ashanti Mutinta.
ImmiX – An Unexpected Musical Mosaic Presented by La Presse
“This very festive show on Friday, August 5 at 8 p.m., will offer up a cast of artists from horizons so different that one would not expect them to be sharing the same stage,” explains Chris Ngabonziza. The TD stage will thus be ablaze with performances by Coeur de Pirate, Corneille, Dominique Fils-Aimé, Patsy Gallant, Léolo, Redgee, Teiki, Alaclair Ensemble, Antoniya, Mehdi Bahmad, Dope gng and Strange Froots.
Xcellence – Spotlight on Local Artists
Also on Friday, August 5th at 4 p.m., the Xcellence show, presented by Trojan, on the Casino de Montreal stage is a celebration of queer and/or trans people of color with performances until 11 p.m. by a fantastic variety of local artists, including Digital Polyglot, la FHomme, DJ KidCrayola, Molygum, Tonton Saucier, Syana Barbara, and Djipoune.
FeminiX – By and For Women of the Diversity
FeminiX, presented by Fido, on Saturday, August 6 at 4 p.m. on the Casino de Montréal stage, will feature only women of diversity with vibrant, and surprising performances. This wonderful musical cocktail of pop, rap, indie, and disco, will be served up by Ariane Moffatt, Sarahmée, Laura Niquay, Calamine, DJ Kris Tin, and DJ Sam until 11 p.m.
MajestiX – An Xceptional Gathering of Local Drag Artists
Sixteen of Montreal’s most regal Drag Queens will have a blast on Saturday, August 6th at 8 p.m. on the TD Stage. Hosted by drag kings RV Métal and Rock Bière the show will feature performances from Barbada, Carmen Sutra, Gisèle Lullaby, Kitana, Le Freak show, Marla Deer, Miami Minx, Miss Dupré Latour, Misty Waterfalls, Rainbow, Scarlett Paris Evans, Uma Gahd, Velma Johnny Jones, Foxy Lexxi Brown and La Drag OnFly.
Mundo Disko – A Tribute Edition for Legendary DJ Robert Ouimet
A dance party tribute to the late Montrealer Robert Ouimet, one of the most influential DJs in Quebec history who greatly contributed to the popularity of disco music! A regular of the Montreal Pride festival, Robert, who passed away last April, shared his passion and talent with the 2SLGBTQIA+ communities on several occasions. At the decks of the Mundo Disko event will be DJ Michel Simard, DJ B’Ugo, Charles Poulin, Lost Heroes, along with VJ Boycott. The event will take place on Sunday, August 7, starting at 3 p.m. on the Casino stage.
The Return of the T-Dance and a Spectacular Closing Show
After the Pride Parade of Sunday, August 7, the TD stage will be taken over by the renowned DJ Karaba and DJ Juan Niño, as well as the trio of high heel dancers TrinXX, from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. Then, it will be Brazilian singer-songwriter and drag queen superstar Pabllo Vittar’s turn to seize center stage and close out the festivities.
For more information on The Montreal Pride Festival click here.
Also, be sure to check out Vacationer’s Travel Guide to Montreal.
