The energy and crowds that define the Fierté Montréal Festival today are the result of years of activism and the celebration of 2SLGBTQIA+ identities. People of diverse sexual orientations and gender identities have always existed and have always occupied public spaces—considering the norms, limits, and possibilities of their time. The queer liberation movement is not new, but in the past 60 years, it has made significant progress in advancing the recognition of our communities’ rights. The Fierté Montréal celebrations are part of this ongoing movement.
Montréal had seen several protests regarding the “pre-Olympic” police raids in the 1970s, but the Pride movement in Montréal didn’t truly take off until the end of the decade. In October 1977, about fifty Montréal police officers, armed with submachine guns, raided the Truxx, a gay bar on Stanley Street, arresting nearly 150 people under “house of debauchery” charges. The raid and the ensuing protests—2,000 people took to the streets the next day—led the Gouvernement du Québec to amend the Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation in a historic vote on December 15. This amendment was a first in North America, and the raid has since been referred to as Montréal’s Stonewall. Learn more about the history of 2SLGBTQIA+ struggles in Montréal, Québec, and Canada in this article.
The first Pride march in Montréal was organized in 1979 by gay activist John Banks (who passed away in June 2024) after reading an article about the 10th anniversary of Stonewall. He joined forces with other local activists, including Armand La Monroe, to form the Brigade Rose. That first year, Guy Prezeau secured a permit, and 52 people marched along Saint-Laurent Boulevard between Sherbrooke and Duluth streets. Without rainbow flags, the marchers sewed two sheets together, dyed them pink, and cut them into a triangle to display at the front of the march. The following year, in 1980, the Brigade Rose grew to around 250 marchers.
The Association pour les Droits des Gais du Québec (ADGQ) undertook the Pride March until 1986. Between 1987 and 1992, various committees took on the task of organizing Pride parades in and around the Gay Village -already in the same area than today, the neighbourhood bordered by Sherbrooke Avenue to the North, René-Lévesque Boulevard to the South, Berri Street to the West, and Papineau Avenue to the East. The parades took place at the end of June of each year.
In July 1990, police officers from the Communauté Urbaine de Montréal raided a private party at a downtown loft known as Sex Garage. The police officers, who had removed their badges, beat several partygoers with batons, threatened to open fire on anyone attempting to leave without police escort, and arrested eight people. The next day, nearly 250 people gathered in front of Police Station 25 to denounce police brutality and the profiling of queer individuals. The police response was even more violent—50 people were arrested and subjected to further mistreatment while in custody. Some were beaten so severely that they had to be transported to the hospital. Journalists and TV camerapeople captured and reported the scenes of police brutality, bringing widespread attention to the incident. Two weeks later, 2,000 protesters marched through the streets of Montréal to Parc La Fontaine, where various speakers and artists took the stage. In 1993, in response to the events of Sex Garage, Suzanne Girard and Puelo Deir co-founded Divers/Cité and organized the first-ever “Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transsexual, and Transvestite Pride” parade. This first attempt drew over 5,000 people, and by its third edition, the number of participants and spectators had grown to over 15,000. By 2010, the event had expanded into a multi-day festival, attracting over 100,000 attendees. The festival featured a wide range of free outdoor activities, including DJs, exhibitions, comedy shows, and music concerts. At the end of 2006, Divers/Cité decided to discontinue the parade and focus on its cultural festival. This decision led to the creation of Fierté Montréal in 2007. Struggling with financial difficulties, Divers/Cité ceased its operations in May 2015.
In 2007, Fierté Montréal (then known as Célébrations de la Fierté LGBTA) took over the organization of the Pride Parade in Montréal following Divers/Cité's decision to step away from community events planning. The first edition of the Fierté Montréal Festival took place on July 28 and 29, 2007. That year, 1,500 people participated in the inaugural Fierté Montréal Pride Parade, greeted by more than 50,000 spectators gathered along René-Lévesque Boulevard.
Since its first steps, Fierté Montréal has upheld the one-minute silence, originally introduced by Divers/Cité, to honor the pioneers of 2SLGBTQIA + communities and to commemorate all those who lost their lives too soon due to HIV/AIDS. Fierté Montréal has also been the driving force behind many innovations, including an annual theme, a jury-awarded recognition for outstanding parade contingents, a Children’s Day, and the appointment of local and international Grand Marshalls—many of whom 2SLGBTQIA+ activists working tirelessly to organize pride events in their own countries.
Since 2007, the Fierté Montréal Festival has steadily grown year after year. By 2024, it brought together over 300 organizations, gathering the 2SLGBTQIA+ community sector, the cultural ecosystem, private businesses, state-owned enterprises, and public institutions, all united to celebrate the creativity and resilience of 2SLGBTQIA+ communities.
As of today, Fierté Montréal amplifies the voices of 2SLGBTQIA+ communities to assure their representation, their inclusion and the recognition of their rights in society.
A look back at our history:
*Some information comes from a text written by journalist Richard Burnett for Fierté Montréal as part of the 10th edition of the Festival in 2017.
Dates: July 28-29, 2007
Theme: The power of the four elements – fire, earth, air and water
75 000 participants
Grand Marshals:
Dates: August 14-17, 2008
Theme: Welcome to the Circus!
160 000 participants
Grand Marshals:
Highlight: Logo and name change, becoming Célébrations de la Fierté.
Dates: 13-19 August, 2009
Theme: ¡Fiesta!
209 000 participants
Grand Marshals:
Dates: August 10-15, 2010
Theme: Our superheroes
267 000 participants
Grand Marshals:
Dates: August 9-14 2011
Theme: 3011: Odyssey of the future
299 300 participants
Grand Marshals:
Claude-Tourangeau Award: COCQ-SIDA
Highlight: Creation of the Claude-Tourangeau Award, honoring the activist who fought tirelessly against AIDS and the stigma surrounding it. Since his passing, the award has been given annually to an individual or organization that has shown outstanding support in the fight against serophobia.
Dates: August 13-19, 2012
Theme: Our flag, our pride
327 000 participants
Grand Marshals:
Ambassadors:
Claude-Tourangeau Award: Jean-Luc Romero
Bâtisseur Award: Jean-Marc Fournier, Kathleen Weil, Marie-Marcelle Godbout, David Testo, Divers/Cité, and TD Bank Group
Hghlights:
Dates: August 12-18
Theme: Red- our flag, our life
462 560 participants
Grand Marshals:
Claude-Tourangeau Award: Farha Foundation
Dates: August 11-17
Theme: Orange – our flag, our flame
393,400 participants
Grand Marshals:
Claude-Tourangeau Award: Clinique médicale l’Actuel
Highlight: Four days of rain and record cold temperatures for August.
Dates: August 10-16 August
Theme: Yellow, our flag, our energy
500,585 participants
Grand Marshals :
Claude-Tourangeau Award: ACCM – Aids Community Care Montréal
Dates: August 8-14, 2016
Theme: Green : our flag, our nature
2 200 000 participants
Grand Marshals:
Claude-Tourangeau Award: RÉZO
Highlight: Fierté Montréal organizes the 10th edition of the Montréal Pride Festival.
Dates: August 10-20
2 676 599 participants
Grand Marshals & Guests of Honor:
Claude-Tourangeau Award: Joanne Otis, Ken Monteith et Mark Wainberg
Highlights: Montréal hosts the first-ever Canada pride, a 10-day celebration inspired by EuroPride and WorldPride, coinciding with:
Major milestones: new logo introduction, first edition held at Parc des Faubourgs, creation of QTBIPOC and youth safer spaces
Dates: August 9–19, 2018
Theme: A Parade Under the Blue Theme
2,100,000 participants
Grand Marshals:
Claude-Tourangeau Award: Maria Nengeh Mensah and Ongin
Highlight: logo change
Dates: August 8-18, 2019
3,400,000 participants
Grand Marshals:
Claude-Tourangeau Award: Denis-Martin Chabot
Builder Award: Alexandre Remy, Gerry Cyr, and Luc D'Arcy
John Banks Award: John Banks
Highlight: Creation of the John Banks Award, which recognizes the exceptional contribution of an individual who has worked towards the creation and expansion of the Pride movement.
Dates: August 6-16, 2020
Theme: 360° Edition
849,094 participants
Grand Marshals:
Highlight: In 2020, due to the global pandemic, the Festival was held 100% virtually.
Builder Award: Luss Martin
Dates: August 9-15, 2021
Theme: Together for All
301,089 participants
Highlight: In 2021, a gradual return to group activities allowed by public health led to a hybrid edition, with some outdoor activities and a significant portion online. After the 2021 edition, changes in the leadership team occurred with the arrival of the new Executive Director. This was also the first time that the Community Day became community DAYS.
Claude-Tourangeau Award: Anaïs Zeledon Montenegro
Dates: August 1-7, 2022
500,000 participants
Grand Marshals:
Awards:
Highlights: On August 7, 2022, the Pride Parade was canceled at the last minute. The Ville de Montréal appointed Philippe Schnobb, former chair of the STM board, to investigate. His 25-page report, delivered in October 2022, concluded that the cancellation was due to a misunderstanding, without the approval of the Executive Director or the Board. This led to a governance restructuring at Fierté Montréal. The recommendations from the Schnobb report were implemented in 2023.
For the first time, the major events of the 2022 edition took place at the Esplanade du Parc Olympique, the new main site featuring the TD Stage and Casino de Montréal Stage.
A first in Québec: The Festival received the "Commande un Angelot" accreditation, a protocol aimed at preventing and addressing sexual harassment in nightlife settings, making Fierté Montréal the first festival in Québec to receive this accreditation.
Also for the first time, the Festival’s main site included a booth dedicated to demystifying kink realities, as well as psychosocial support services related to alcohol and substance use.
Dates: August 3-13, 2023
Theme: Never Without My Pride!
775,000 participants
Grand Marshals:
Awards:
Highlights: Rebranding and website redesign to refresh Fierté Montréal’s identity.
The Pride Parade made a strong comeback since 2019, with a record 15,500 registered marchers and an audience of over 200,000 people to commemorate past struggles and victories, honor those who paved the way, and amplify the demands of 2SLGBTQIA+ organizations.
More than 180 2SLGBTQIA+ and allied organizations from Montréal and over ten regions across Québec participated in the Community Days, presented by Air Canada, attracting over 145,000 visitors on Friday, August 11, and Saturday, August 12.
In July 2023, Fierté Montréal continued its transformation by adopting new bylaws, providing for the recruitment of new members and the progressive renewal of the Board of Directors.
In November 2023, Fierté Montréal launched "Ensemble pour toustes", a podcast series produced by Marie-Hélène Frenette-Assad and hosted by political-social comedian Coco Belliveau. The series takes listeners across a queer Québec, engaging with community members about the struggles, histories, demands, and realities of 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals living outside major urban centers.
Dates: August 1-11, 2024
Theme: We Are the Rainbow!
410,000 participants
Grand Marshals:
Awards:
Highlights:
