Ontario, Canada
Toronto, Canada's biggest city and fourth largest in North America, competes with cities like New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco as a major destination for international 2SLGBTQI+ travelers, and its annual Pride celebrations are unmatched. Toronto is home to more than six million people, including the largest 2SLGBTQI+ population in Canada.
Church-Wellesley Village, the first gay village, is an urban destination with the largest proportion of 2SLGBTQI+ owned and welcoming businesses in Canada. It has famous 2SLGBTQI+ bars and clubs, bookstores, saunas, restaurants, and community organizations, and it is also where many 2SLGBTQI+ Torontonians live. 2SLGBTQI+ visitors often use this as a starting point when they want to explore the city.
Toronto's extensive Pride celebrations, now called Pride Month, will happen from June 1–30, 2025, with over 800 artists, 10 stages, over 100 community events and more than 3 million attendees. The Pride 2025 Festival Weekend will take place June 26-29, 2025, with the Pride Parade on June 29th. Check Pride Toronto’s website for additional details for 2025.
The West Queen West Art & Design District, known locally as the Queer West Village, is Toronto's second neighbourhood of interest for the 2SLGBTQI+ community. It has broadcasters, gay-welcoming bars, restaurants, shops, cafes, design houses and galleries galore.
Some galleries have relocated to the residential and industrial Lower Junction Triangle in recent years, anchored by the multi-floor MOCA Toronto. Queer East Toronto, which includes Leslieville, The Beaches and Greektown, are also becoming popular areas for 2SLGBTQI+ Torontonians. They are more relaxed than the Church Wellesley Village, and these 2SLGBTQI+ welcoming neighbourhoods have a wide range of restaurants, pubs, shopping and nightlife.
Toronto Queer Film Festival: “The Toronto Queer Media & Arts Centre (TQFF) is a collectively-run, artist-run, nonprofit organization in Toronto, Ontario. TQFF started in 2016 to provide community art exhibition space for experimental, contemporary, and/or social justice themed film and video art by queer filmmakers.” Visit their website for more festival information.
Canada's largest 2SLGBTQI+ Centre, The 519, is at 519 Church Street in the Church-Wellesley Village. This registered charity is an agency of the City of Toronto and works with community businesses and sponsors, to provide a wide range of services, programs and meeting spaces for the 2SLGBTQI+ community. The 519 and Homes First Society opened Pacewood, their first shelter dedicated to 2SLGBTQI+ newcomers who have arrived through a refugee pathway. The space prioritizes trans, gender diverse and non-binary persons.
Another valuable Toronto-based resource is The ArQuives, Canada's 2SLGBTQI+ Archives, which launched an online database that lets the public search their diverse collection of records. They also offer tours of their Jared Sessions House where they have their public programs, as well as walking tours of Toronto's 2SLGBTQI+ historical neighbourhoods, and presentations about their collections.
www.destinationtoronto.com
www.pridetoronto.com
torontoqueerfilmfest.com
www.queerwest.org
www.the519.org
arquives.ca
www.yohomo.ca
