2024 : We Are the Rainbow!

The 2024 edition of Fierté Montréal Festival kicked off at the Urban Hub, highlighting the city’s cultural diversity through a series of shows that captivated audiences gathered at several stages. One of the highlights was the opening show on August 1, Lumière des Nations, dedicating the Cinquième Salle at Place des Arts to Indigenous and Two-Spirit artists, each adding their particularly rich cultural notes to a harmonious evening of performances. The Cinquième Salle was also a venue for honouring the history of lesbian struggles in Québec, with the sold-out show Ciseaux on August 5-7. Entre nous: Hommage Aux Arts Martiaux featured the mastery and discipline of age-old traditions, combining past and present on the Loto-Québec Stage at the Esplanade Tranquille in the Quartier des spectacles. Entre Nous was a one-of-kind show that captured the curiosity of its enthusiastic audience. Later, the Afro Drag extravaganza presented by Ubisoft, wowed the crowd with dazzling performances celebrating the kinship between the art of drag and African diasporic traditions, infusing both with pride and creative energy. On August 2, still on the Loto-Québec stage, Pikete, presented by Four Seasons Hotel Montréal, immersed audiences in the quintessentially hot Latin and Caribbean rhythms, where music and dance intertwined in the unmistakable vibes of nightlife culture. Finally, Bloc Bollywood, presented by Skip the Dishes, transported spectators to South-East Asia with performances inspired by Bollywood films, offering a vibrant mix of dance and music.

Together, each of these shows helped kick off the festival with a genuine ode to diversity, reflecting the multiple facets of cultures around the world, simultaneously celebrating their unity and uniqueness.

The Fierté Montreal Festival once again showed that music is a universal language, with the power to bring people together to celebrate a rich diversity of identities. On August 3, the Scène Loto-Québec at the Esplanade Tranquille was the venue for Transcendance, a curated musical program featuring trans artists and performances that transcended gender boundaries. For the afterparty, Marilyne Léonard and Super Plage brought us that bright pop energy, mixing electro and indie, creating a space where styles and sounds were as diverse as the identities present. Each artist had their own spin on Montréal summertime vibes, where music was the canvas for communities coalescing on the dancefloor. On Sunday, August 4, the party took over the Esplanade Tranquille with performances by star DJs at the Feminix outdoor dance party, presented by Rogers, perfectly matching the beat of the Lesbian BBQ “block party” vibe to celebrate the power of women from a diversity of communities.

The Urban Hub was also the venue for the Festival's club nights! Celebrating a broad diversity of genres, styles and themes, each event went for a bold and unique venue-transforming ambiance. The Supernature club night, presented by MAC Cosmetics, a whacking.waacking battle, offered a programme of local and international queer acts, DJs, and performances at Club Soda on August 1, with the party in full tilt from the first battle to the last dance. With Laylit on August 2 at Club Soda, organizers created an electrifying atmosphere, showcasing the sounds and cultures of the Middle East, while celebrating the Arab/SWANA community. On August 3, the SAT played host to Pleasuredome transporting partiers to a world where freedom of expression, raw energy and sweat came together for an intense and immersive evening under the Satosphère dome. Next door at Club Soda on the same night, Fantasme conjured a sensual and unexpected exploration of Sapphic fantasies in a cozier, sensual vibe for lesbo-queer women. On August 9, Unikorn shone the spotlight on flamboyance and glamour with a colourful evening celebrating the queer community in all its glory at the SAT. Finally, Anges et Demons: Bear Playground hosted an evening for the bear community at the SAT on August 10, toying with the campy contrast between our coy angelic side and our hornier shoulder, for a hot evening of fur and fun.

At the NFB's Alanis-Obomsawin theatre, thanks to a collaboration with the 2SLGBTQIA+ film festival, image+nation, festivalgoers were given a special opportunity to engage with a program of eleven queer short films, calling attention to Fierté Montréal Festival’s 11 Demands.

The Pavillon Tranquille and the Centre for Sustainable Development hosted a series of Community Conferences calling attention to the issues 2SLGBTQIA+ communities are facing on August 1, 2, 4, and 6.

The Village was the setting for a comedy take-over this year, offering moments of laughter and reflection through shows that celebrated diversity, while playing with conventional forms. Des Gags et des Paillettes, presented by La Presse, lit up the stage at Le National on August 2 with comedians from queer communities. Knowing that humour is a powerful tool for resistance and coming-out for any identity, comedians cast a spell of laughter and glitter over thrilled audiences. Camping Chez Sami offered an unhinged experience at the Jardins Gamelin on August 6, mixing performance and stand-up comedy. The crowd just had to give in to the gorgeous chaos, where every joke was a nod to the legendary camp abilities of 2SLGBTQIA+ identities. The Jardins Gamelin also became the playground for artists from Latino Burlesque, who celebrated their 10th anniversary with wildly exciting performances on August 3.

This series of shows proved that queer comedy is much more than just light entertainment: it's a way of expressing the complexity of our experiences in a light-hearted way, while inviting us to reflect and, above all, to laugh.

From August 1 to 9, in collaboration with the SDC Village, Sainte-Catherine St Est played host to Fierté dans le Village, a series of diverse and engaging artistic performances proving that Pride is alive and well on the streets of Montreal's 2SLGBTQIA+ neighbourhood! Drag artists, aerial dance, circus, and artistic performances, to name but a few, gave Village audiences a chance to celebrate the creativity and resilience of queer communities.

Fierté Montréal Festival just wouldn’t be the same without its flagship events taking place in the Village. Community Day, presented by Air Canada, brought together 135 2SLGBTQIA+ organisations and communities on August 10 (the Community Day on 9 August having been cancelled due to Hurricane Debbie). The day allowed the public to discover, share, and support local initiatives, while creating a space where everyone could find their place and express themselves openly, strengthening community ties in the process.

The Pride Parade was the Festival's highlight, with thousands of participants marching through the streets of Montréal in a profusion of colour, music, and pride. This emblematic afternoon, where communities march together, symbolically linking the former 2SLGBTQIA+ sector of the city to the endpoint in the heart of the Village, highlighted a vast diversity of identities and struggles: we gather to celebrate past progress by highlighting the present-day demands of 2SLGBTQIA+ organizations. Despite the temporary interruption of the Parade by protestors, and thanks to the mediation actions resulting from an action plan put in place since last winter by Fierté Montréal, the 17,000 participants were able to walk the entire 2.2 km route in complete safety and with respect for the dignity of all. In the face of rising hatred and discrimination against 2SLGBTQIA+ people, our communities and allies sent out a clear message: Never Without our Pride!

These two flagship events, imbued with deep social and community significance, reflect the very essence of Fierté Montréal Festival : celebrating diversity while striving to move forward together towards a more inclusive and equitable future.

The Olympic Hub vibrated with standout shows that celebrated music and dance in all their forms. Immix, presented by ICI Musique, which opened the series of major outdoor shows at the TD Stage on the Esplanade of the Parc Olympique on August 8, fused musical genres and diverse cultures in a performance evening that brought together artists from an array of genres and backgrounds. This opening show set the tone, bringing together a teaming crowd ready to celebrate Pride in all its glory. Last but never least, the Mega T-Dance on August 11, on the TD Stage, closed the festival with an event where electro dance music rhythms infused the entire Esplanade du Parc Olympique, making it the largest open-air dance floor in Montréal! In an atmosphere that exuded freedom and fun, the finale brought together renowned DJs who delivered an unforgettable experience. The audience danced under the stars, uplifted by powerful beats and an unparalleled party atmosphere, closing the festival on a note of dreamy, physical, collective uplift.

Despite the cancellation of the August 9 events due to inclement weather, Fierté Montréal Festival displayed the resilience for which our communities are well known by rain-checking some of the Friday shows to the next day, August 10. Audiences flocked to Mundo Disko, an electrifying evening where disco music transported festivalgoers into a beat-driven shared space.

Outdoor show Soirée 100% Drag then took over, with an opening DJ set, followed by Majestix, presented by TD, where local drag queens, drag kings and queer drag artists shone their light in colourful performances. The evening continued with Drag Superstars, presented by Cabenuva, featuring internationally renowned queens and kings who captivated audiences with their stunning acts and show-stopping charisma. 

Overall, the moment was defined by adapting to the unexpected, demonstrating the unwavering spirit of 2SLGBTQIA+ communities, and turning adversity into a moment of collective celebration. Music and the art of drag once again brought festivalgoers together in an explosion of passion and creativity, making for an unforgettable day.

Fierté Montréal also took the opportunity to honour those whose dedication and contributions have had a lasting impact. Among them were our 2024 Co-Marshalls: Sasha Colby, renowned drag artist, dancer and trans activist from Hawaii, USA; and Ouissem Belgacem, a Franco-Tunisian soccer player and author working to end homophobia in athletics by raising awareness. Our Grand Marshall duo are exceptional people who have demonstrated unflagging commitment to inspiring positive change.

At the Community Awards Ceremony, Montréal-based LGBTQ+ magazine Fugues (celebrating its 40th anniversary this year), community health organization Le Dispensaire, and trans lesbian activist and community worker Chloé Viau (posthumously) were recognised for their significant contributions to the advancement of 2SLGBTQIA+ rights and the fight against HIV/AIDS.

In keeping with our commitment to providing safer spaces for festivalgoers, and in collaboration with several 2SLGBTQIA+ community organizations, Fierté Montréal Festival has set up safer, welcoming spaces for young people and QTBIPOC/racialized people. These spaces are quieter areas, away from crowds, where the intended public can go to decompress, meet up, and benefit from active listening services when needed, provided by community workers.

Furthermore, the Festival continues to be accredited "Order an Angelot’ by Collectif Social, a protocol aimed at preventing sexual harassment and violence in a festival environment. In addition, in collaboration with L'Aparté, artists who have experienced or witnessed sexual harassment or violence had access to free, confidential, and independent legal services.

Fierté Montréal would like to thank its partners, without whom the Festival would not be what it is: TD Bank Group (partner since 2008), Loto-Québec, the Ville de Montréal, the Gouvernement du Québec, the Government of Canada, Tourisme Montréal, Rogers, Trojan, Cabenuva, the SAQ, Air Canada, Bubly, Radio-Canada, MERCK, Loblaws, no name, the STM, Bud Light, Hydro-Québec, Fugues, MTL Dans La Poche, Cogeco, La Presse, CTV, Publicité Sauvage, Virgin Radio, Énergie, Rouge, LSTW, Le Devoir, Petit Futé, Québec Le Mag, Cult, the Old Port of Montréal, la Société de développement et de mise en valeur du Parc Olympique, the Quartier des Spectacles Partnership, the RÉMI, and the SDC Village Montréal.

Our 2024 partners have stood solidarily by us, ensuring that the spirit of pride continues to thrive within the rich ecology of Montréal's cultural and social landscape.