Quebec City will celebrate Pride in August
Cassandra Kerwin, Local Journalism Initiative reporter
cassandra@qctonline.com
The height of summer is the perfect time for bright colours, celebrations and a season full of festivals. For four days, from Aug. 28 to 31, the 21st Festival Fierté Québec (formerly known as the Fête Arc-en-Ciel) will colour different areas of Quebec City and host a range of public events celebrating the two- spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (2SLGBTQ+) community.
According to the program, available online at fiertedequebec.ca/en, there will be free concerts and a Winter Carnival cooling station at Place D’Youville and the Passage Olympia, a Pride march along Rue Saint-Jean and a “Queer-tanic” celebration on board AML Louis-Jolliet. Renowned Quebec band Milk & Bone will get the party started on Aug. 29, with festivities on Rue Saint-Jean continuing throughout the weekend. On Aug. 30, festival-goers can enjoy storytime with Barbada at the Palais Montcalm at 10 a.m., a literary panel on growing up queer, a festive “100% Céline” cruise on the Louis-Jolliet ($65), the Pride Gala featuring Mona de Grenoble at 9:30 p.m. and a range of free outdoor performances starring local DJs, drag artists and other performers. For $50, VIP ticket holders get reserved seats to outdoor performances, food and drinks. For $75, they have access to the legendary Drague Cabaret Club.
On Aug. 31, members of the 2SLGBTQ+ community and allies are invited to wear their brightest colours during the Pride march, starting at 1 p.m. “We want to remind the public that this is not so much a parade as it is a supportive march, meaning that members and their allies are invited to show and affirm their colours in support and celebration of equality and plurality of the 2SLGBTQ+ community,” said Béatrice Robichaud, president of Alliance Arc-en-ciel de Québec. There will be more entertainment and Zumba at the Passage Olympia, tattoos at the Marriott Downtown hotel on both days and the Queer Market along Rue Saint-Jean on Sunday.
For the first time, Fierté de Québec is partnering with the Winter Carnival. “Their expertise, recognized well beyond our borders, allows us to deliver a coherent, inclusive and ambitious program, while ensuring rigorous resource management and exemplary c-ordination with our various partners,” said Sara Gagné Somarriba, co-executive director of Alliance Arc-en-ciel.