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| Location | Waterloo Region,Ontario |
|---|---|
| Type | Pride festival |
| Organised by | Tri-Pride Community Association |
| Website | tri-pride |
Tri-Pride, stylizedtri-Pride, is an annual non-profitlesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queerPride festival in theWaterloo Region ofOntario, encompassing the cities ofCambridge,Kitchener andWaterloo. Prior to the launch ofGuelph Pride in 2003, the event also included the city ofGuelph.[1]
tri-Pride is considered Canada's largest regional pride festival.[2][3] The official name of the organization is tri-Pride Community Association Inc.
This event was formed in 1995 and has grown ever since its inception.
The event was extended to a week in 2003, and its 3,000 visitors made it one of the largest pride events in southern Ontario afterToronto Pride.[4]
TheWaterloo Region Record,Labatt Brewing Company, and the localCTV affiliateCKCO-DT have been sponsors of the event.[5]
The 2011 edition included a horse race at Grand River Raceway inElora, Ontario which was claimed to be "harness racing’s first-ever Drag (Queen) Race".[6][7]
In 2012 6,000 people attended the event.[3]
Performers at the 2013 festival includedGabe Lopez,God Made Me Funky,Drake Jensen, Sarah Smith and The Ecstatic.[8] The tri-Pride Live Music Festival headliners for 2014 wereThelma Houston[9] andCanadian Idol winnerTheo Tams.[10]
The organization almost disbanded in 2016 due to a lack of volunteers.[11][12]
In 2017 and 2019 the tri-Pride organization helped organize a Pride march in Kitchener.[11][13]
During tri-Pride in 2018, rainbow crosswalks were unveiled in Kitchener and Waterloo.[14][15] Kitchener's crosswalk was paid for by the city.[15]
tri-Pride did not occur in 2020 or 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[16] The event returned in June 2022.[16][17]
The event has often run from late May to early June.[18]
The festival's programming has at times started with raising thePride flag at one of the city halls.[3][18]
A diverse range of events are held in all three cities, including musical, comedy, anddrag performances.[16][19] 2017's tri-Pride also saw crafting nights, pageants, support groups, andyoga.[11][12] tri-Pride's two-week-long program of events usually culminates in a weekend concert in Kitchener's Civic Square or Kitchener'sVictoria Park.[3][19]