"Happy Pride!" - The inclusive colours of Toronto Pride Parade 2017

Every year on the last Sunday of June or the first Sunday of July, Toronto erupts into colours of joy as the world comes down to the city for the Toronto Pride Parade. Just by luck, I happened to be in the city during this week and witnessed one of the largest gay Pride parades of the world, and what an experience this was! Truly magnificent :)

The Pride flag at the Pride parade in Toronto

Happy Pride everyone!

Getting ready! 

Grooving to the music

"We love human rights"

A Muslim guy at the parade

Nameless - the fantastic organiser of the event!

Like a superstar!

History of Toronto Pride Parade

Toronto in 1981 was far different from what it is today. The LGBT community was not organised and they were at best tolerated in the society. The same year there were numerous raids across four gay bathhouses in order to rid the areas around the gay ghetto, of crimes. This came to be known as Operation Soap.

The raids took in February and over the next few weeks various gay groups came together to protest their marginalisation and discrimination, and this finally culminated in a 'Gay Freedom Rally' on March 6. This was the first Pride Parade of Toronto.

However, the first ever Pride Parade in the world took place eleven years earlier in New York, United States, in 1970. The term Gay Pride started being used from 1980 onwards.

Tips for visiting Toronto Pride Parade

Events: there are three different events on three different days, and each one follows a slightly different path. Check the event that you wish to attend and go accordingly.

Here are the three events:
Dyke Parade
Trans Parade
Pride Parade

Time: usually the Pride Parade starts at 2PM, and it's more or less on time. However, of you want a great place in the crowd, reach an hour and half in advance, around 12.30PM.

Where: the parade typically starts from the junction of the Bloor and Church street, and is one of the best places to start too. This is where usually Justin Trudeau also joins the parade, so it's the best place to see him too. Stand on the left of where the Church street meets the Bloor street, at the curved edge behind the barricade.

Most people stay at one place only for the entire parade, but I would recommend moving down the Bloor street and further down the Yonge street after an hour or so. The parade is much more alive and so is the crowd further down the road.

You can also do what I did - I walked all the way back to where they participants were getting ready and then joined them for the parade itself. This part of my Pride parade experience was perhaps the most beautiful one. I became one with the people I was there to cheer for, and could photograph them all at close quarters. This isn't necessarily what I would recommend doing though - I had a big camera with me, but no press pass, but everyone assumed I was one of them.

Things to carry:

To make sure you are prepared to enjoy the Pride event to the fullest, here are some suggestions on what to carry with you. Make sure you travel light and keep your valuables safe.

1. Camera, and a spare battery - I ran out of battery as well as space in my card and had to delete some old pics.
2. Water bottle, or two - there are stalls on Church st which distribute free water bottles, but I didn't see any during the parade itself.
3. Some light snack - the parade takes about 3.5 hours, and if you reach early, it can be very tiring
4. A cap, an umbrella or a rain jacket, based on the weather prediction for the day
5. Wear something colourful and be a part of the crowd :)

The Water Polo team

Happy Pride! 

Thumps up!

My door is open

Grooving to the groovy music

My experiences at the Toronto Pride pride

I reached early as I wanted to understand the area a bit better and see the path in advance. But frankly speaking, nothing prepared me for the extravaganza on the streets later. The weather prediction for the day was gloomy, with very high likelihood of rains. While I was sitting inside a cafe and eating my brunch, there was actually a rather large downpour, though thankfully it was the first and the last shower during the day. The actual parade was bright and sunny!

Right at the start Justin Trudeau, the Prime Minister of Canada, was there with his family to support the cause. He was just about 10 metres away from me, but unfortunately I failed to get a good shot of him. Here's a good one from Toronto Star :)

A post shared by Toronto Star (@thetorontostar) on Jun 25, 2017 at 12:57pm PDT

I started my time at the parade as a viewer from behind the barricades, but ended up joining the crowd - originally to take their pictures, but then simply to cheer them on from within. I am not gay, but to me it was still essential to support their rights to be themselves. Canada is one of those countries where it's easy to belong to the LGBTQ community, but the march is also in support for all others who are still persecuted in many other countries of the world.

Support from one and all :)

Break free!

Age is certainly no bar

Diva!

Garba at the Pride parade

Selfie time

Let's dance baby! 

And more smiles :)

Everyone's excited :)

Like a star!

Girls with a message

Smiling away to glory!

Pride Love!

What not to like?

I didn't quite know what to expect from the parade, so was actually looking forward to cheering members of LGBTQ community as they marched on. But to my surprise, more than the community members, it was the commercial organisations with huge trucks/ buses/ cars and loud branding which dominated the parade.

I realised through later research that they were all the sponsors to the event and their participation actually made the event possible. Nevertheless, in my opinion they hijacked at least a large part of the celebrations. Even the Pride flags, pens, caps etc that they distributed had their names loudly written on them.

Video from the Pride Parade

If you would like to watch the parade in action, here's a video too. Just a word of caution - don't watch it in office :)