The biggest party of the summer has arrived and we’ve got you covered! From Dolly Parton drag to picnics uptown, here’s our Pride picks for the hottest parties and events happening across our city.  

WEDNESDAY 

10 pm Snakepit @ The Henhouse, 1532 Dundas St. W. A weekly queer dance party! This week, DJs Casey Mecija and Anni Spadafora stop by. 

THURSDAY 

6:30 pm Clam Slam @ The Hangar – Downsview Park, 75 Carl Hall Rd. A full-length roller derby bout hosted by the Toronto Roller Derby celebrating the queer roller derby community. Toronto’s own queer team, the Clam Diggers, take on Vagina Regime Canada, a team of queer skaters from leagues all over Canada and the US. $12 in advance, $18 at the door. 

7 pm “10×10: 100 Portraits Celebrating LGBT People in the Arts” Opening Night @ The White House Studio, 277.5 Augusta Ave. 10 notable photographers from the city’s LGBT community were each tasked with capturing 10 of their favourite queers in the arts. The result: 100 portraits that reflect a part – and capture a moment – of Canada’s thriving and diverse arts scene. http://10x10toronto.wordpress.com. 

9 pm Pride Kick-Off Party @ Bovine Sex Club, 542 Queen St. W. With Fitness, Lovely Killbots and DJ Steve Rock. 4 AM LAST CALL! $5.  

9 pm AIDS Candlelight Vigil @ AIDS Memorial in Cawthra Square Park, 10 Cawthra Square. A community memorial event to honour, remember and celebrate the lives of people who have died of AIDS, and to recognize and honour those affected by and living with HIV/AIDS.  

10 pm Business Woman’s Special: Pride Prom! @ Augusta House, 152-A Augusta Ave. Grab your prom dresses, tuxes, corsages and boutonnieres because Pride Prom is here! DJs Phil V, Sammy and Nino Brown will be spinning all night long and Kimon will be snapping awkward prom shots for all in the photo booth. Dance, drink, dress-up and compete for the titles of BWS Pride Prom King and Queen. $10. 

10 pm Battle Pop: Lady Gaga vs. Britney Spears @ The Barn, 418 Church St. The biggest Battle Pop of all time! Expect the best from Gaga and Britney and all your favourite top 40 hits. 4 AM LAST CALL. Fully licensed second floor and all ages on the first and third floors. $10.  

10 pm Steers & Queers: Night of 1,000 Dollys @ The Dakota Tavern, 249 Ossington Ave. Featuring an all-Dolly tribute, The Cowgirl Choir and Tennessee Mountain Homos singing sweet harmonies, DJs Sigourney Beaver and Joe Blow and more. Dress code: Dolly drag (falsies will be provided). Show at 11 pm, dancing all night.  

FRIDAY 

8 pm Trans March @ Hayden & Church St. 2009 saw the first ever Trans March down Church and the tradition continues again this year. Gather at 7 pm, march at 8 pm.  

9 pm LOVE YOU: Lesbeaux + Transgressions @ Holy Oak, 1241 Bloor St. W. To celebrate Pride and pay it forward in a big way, Toronto dance parties Transgressions and Lesbeaux will combine forces to orchestrate the city’s most raucous, queer free-for-all! Transgressions is an all-inclusive dance party celebrating all gender expressions and modes of loving while Lesbeaux is a simple, feel-good concept born on a Parkdale rooftop – clever girls and good music. Frozen treats on hand in case of climatic or climactic over-heating. PWYC, with proceeds going to YouthLine.ca. 

10 pm Cub Camp @ The Garrison, 1197 Dundas St. W. For all the kids who want to get messy on the west end and dance between two rooms of DJs playing house, electro, pop, dance and hip-hop. Featuring sexy men with sexy beards, sexy men with sexy tattoos, sexy men without beards, sexy men with scruff, sex men with revealing clothing and low morals, and even sexier ladies. $8 before 11 pm, $10 after. 

10 pm Night Crawlers @ Naco Gallery, 1665 Dundas St. W. Join DJs Murr, Nik Red and guests for the ultimate Pride party on the west side! Spinning grooves for celebration, liberation and libations. PWYC, with donations going to the the Toronto Women’s Bookstore.  

SATURDAY 

10 am Pride & Remembrance Run @ Church & Wellesley intersection. This year’s run proceeds will benefit the AIDS Committee of Toronto and The Triangle Program, with a portion also going towards the Pride & Remembrance Foundation. For more information, visit Pride Run. 

1 pm The Amazing Pride Race @ various indoor and outdoor locations around Church St. and the downtown core. Clues will guide you to all the must see pride venues and locations where you and your team will have to battle it out with your competitors. Get ready for hilarious challenges, photo ops and battles of wit! You can sign up as a team of 2-5, or as an individual, in which case you’ll be grouped into a team with others (both gay and straight are welcome). $21 per person. For more information and to purchase tickets visit Amazing Pride Race. 

1 pm Aqua @ TD Wellesley Stage, Yonge & Wellesley. Get soaked and enjoy the sun! Featuring the North American debut of international pop sensation Kazaky from Ukraine, DJ Micky Friedmann and Dave & Gerardo. Tickets available at Prism Toronto. 

1 pm Lipstick Jungle @ Green Space on Church, 519 Church St. Let out your inner animal! With international DJs/producers Ana Paula and Alyson Calagna alongside Toronto’s DJ Delicious and Ria. Donations are appreciated and will support The 519.  

1 pm Dyke Day Afternoon @ Labatt’s South Stage, Wood & Church St. A jam-packed lesbilicious lineup featuring performances, readings and more. Until 7 pm.  

1 pm Fruit Loopz @ Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, 12 Alexander St. A festival of arts, words and ideas for spectrum (LGBTQ) youth, by spectrum youth. Art gallery featuring works by queer and trans youth from 1-4 pm, and live performances including drag, bands, spoken word and dance from 4-10 pm.  

2 pm Dyke March @ Hayden & Church St. A grassroots event where women and trans people take over the streets of Toronto! A political demonstration of critical mass; a moment seized to revel in the strength, diversity and passion of LGBTTIQQ2SA women and trans folk. 

2 pm Uptown Pride Picnic @ 40 Orchard View Blvd., Lower Courtyard & Suite 100. Free food, games, entertainment and fun for people of all ages, including a cupcake decorating (and eating) station! Hosted by Delisle Youth Services, who provide comprehensive, individualized services for children youth and their families in the Yonge and Eglinton neighbourhood and across Toronto.  

8 pm Homo Night in Canada @ Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, 12 Alexander St. A fundraising event for Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, hosted by Richard Ryder and featuring a fantastic line-up of queer comics including Kristen Becker, Marco Bernardi, Paul Hutcheson and Sharon Nowlan, Vicki Licks, Ian Lynch, Mae Martin, Vong Sundara, David Tomlinson, Zoe Whittall and Dawn Whitwell. $25 through the theatre box office (416-975-8555) or online. 

9 pm Cherry Bomb Pride @ Revival, 783 College St. DJs Cozmic Cat and Denise Benson keep you dancing, Cherry Bomb style! With a special midnight live performance by Candy Coated Killahz and sexy urban grind jams all night long downstairs in the Stone Lounge. $15 at the door with limited advance tickets from Glad Day Bookshop (598-A Yonge St.) and Soundscapes (572 College St.), also $15 (guarantee entry and faster entrance). 

9 pm Truck Stop @ The Courthouse, 57 Adelaide St. E. The top women’s party in L.A. and NYC is rolling into town to bring our city a night of high octane, gear grinding, sensory overdrive. L.A.’s DJ Brynn Taylor tears up the decks and makes you dance all night while native Torontonian and NYC promoter Bridget Hauserman teams up with Truck Stop producers Linda Fusco and Michelle Agnew to bring this wild night to her hometown. 

10 pm Yes Yes Y’All Pride Edition @ The Annex Wreckroom, 794 Bathurst St. Toronto’s biggest, baddest, sweatiest queer hip-hop/dance hall jam with a guest performance by House of Ladosha. BBQ in full effect! $12 in advance, $15 at the door.  

10 pm There Goes The Neighbourhood: Monster Pride Edition @ The Barn, 418 Church St. Starring DJ Lady Kier (of Dee-lite), Cazwell, Sherry Vine, Jed Harper, Blackcat, Mark Falco, Sumation, Miss Margot, Cindy Jim, Rolls Royce, Betti Forde, Jeff Kirkwood, Fawn BC and Triple X. Hosted by Superstein, House of Venus, GRINDR, Matt Sims, Matt Barker, MOJO and Jeffree Lopez and crew. 4 AM EXTENDED LAST CALL.  

10 pm Hey Rebel! Pride Edition @ Berkeley Church, 315 Queen St. E. Matt Sims Presents an all-ages event that unifies every aspect of youth culture. With DJs Trypt, Dr Ozi, Hugsnotdrugs, Rolls Royce, Jesse Jet and Smunchy & Johnny Z, performances by The Boom Boom Live and Ivory Towers and hosted by the cast of MTV’s 1Girl5Gays, Zara Mansion and Wayne James. $25 at the door or $20 in advance from Shanti Baba (546 Queen St. W.), Play De Record (357 Yonge St.) and online at Hey Rebel. 

10 pm Queer Bait @ Naco Gallery, 1665 Dundas St. W. Fun, sexy games and dancing! Sangria will be $3.50 a glass.  

SUNDAY 

12 pm Alterna-Queer @ Alexander Parkette (outside Buddies in Bad Times Theatre), 12 Alexander St. A showcase of alternative artists that support the underground music scene of punk, industrial, electro, reggae, indie, hip-hop, spank rock, new wave and no wave, including music, drag, burlesque, opera DJs and more from Toronto and beyond. Featuring Light Fires (including members of Gentleman Reg and Ohbijou), King Codi and Rani Rhinestone (drag/burlesque), Helene Ducharme (opera), Candy Coated Killahz, 800 House of Venus (DJs Betti Forde, Michael Venus and Mark Kenneth) and many more. Until 11 pm. Official after party at the Flying Beaver Pubaret, 488 Parliament St.  

2 pm Pride Parade @ Bloor & Church St. Mayor Ford may not be attending the parade, but we will be! The Pride Parade marks its 31st anniversary this year, come out and show your support. 

7:15 pm Queer Idol @ Transat Holidays Village Stage, Church & Wellesley. Canada’s biggest LGBTQ vocal competition. During this set, Queer Idol will pay tribute to Glee! 

10 pm Carry On @ The Phoenix, 140 Sherbourne St. Activate, Matt Sims and Bugeyed Records present Toronto’s biggest FREE Pride after party! Featuring two rooms and DJs Jelo, Addy, Robb G, Evan G, Matty Ryce, Don Berns, Hugsnotdrugs, Chiclet, Dr Ozi, Dylan Arlow, Heartbreakers, Jesse Jet, Rolls Royce, Serial Sean and a special surprise guest. Free before midnight.