How to Finish Out the Week Celebrating Pride in Montreal

Montreal Pride (or Fierté Montreal) has been underway since Monday, with events celebrating LGBTQ+ communities only poised to ramp up as we head into the weekend and the culminating Pride March on Sunday, August 15.

This year’s official festival programming is stacked with a blend of virtual and in-person events — including everything from a Twitch-streamed Latinx burlesque show on Saturday to a drag brunch barbecue at Parc des Corroyeurs in St-Henri on Sunday — adapted for these coronavirus times. Several local bars, clubs, and cafés are also hosting festivities outside the Fierté Montreal cadre. Here’s a guide to those local spots where to finish out the week celebrating this year’s Montreal Pride.

Looking for the complete Fierté Montreal program? Click here.

Bar Renard — 1272 Ste-Catherine Street East

This Village cocktail bar from the people behind Verdun’s Palco is hosting a series of DJ nights (featuring Pullinsky and DJ Sam), from Thursday to Sunday, August 12 to 15, in honour of Pride.

Le Belmont — 4483 St-Laurent Boulevard

Party expert Mec Plus Ultra (MPU) is throwing an all-day and -night blow-out at Le Belmont in the Plateau, outside the Village bustle, on Saturday, August 14. It’ll feature a “patio party” at 4 p.m. with DJs Diskommander and Franz and a cabaret hosted by drag queen Selma Gahd starting at 10 p.m. Tickets for the show and nighttime festivities are already sold out, but according to the Facebook event, access to the terrasse in the afternoon is free.

Le Cagibi — 6596 St-Laurent Boulevard

This Little Italy co-op café is hosting Swana Pride Party, a queer Arab-themed event featuring DJs and artists, on Thursday, August 12, at 5 p.m. Attendance is free, but voluntary contributions will go to AGIR, a non-profit supporting the LGBTQIA+ migrant community.

Le Cocktail — 1669 Ste-Catherine Street East

Drag and drinks are the norm at this Ste-Catherine Street gay bar — and will be a staple at its Pride festivities, with special shows held Friday, Saturday, and Sunday (August 13 to 15), featuring numbers from Miss Butterfly, Michel Dorion, and Barbada. Tickets are available online and at the door.

Le Date — 1218 Ste-Catherine Street East

With karaoke still banned across the province due to the risk of coronavirus transmission, this staple Village spot has had to rethink its operations slightly: For Pride, it’s hosting nightly “singalongs” from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. all week. They’ll go on until Sunday night.

Le Normandie — 1295 Atateken Street

This 40-year-old Village karaoke bar is proposing a post-march afternoon celebration on Sunday, August 15, featuring DJ David Laguer.

Minéral — 1641 Atateken Street

The youngest venue on this list, Minéral has jumped head-first into Pride festivities with a loaded lineup that began with a sold-out bingo night on Tuesday and keeps the party going with nightly DJ sessions and a first-come-first-served drag 5 à 7 soirée on Sunday.

Unity — 1171 Ste-Catherine Street East

Four days of Pride festivities kick off on Thursday on the rooftop of this Village nightclub and end on Sunday with an electronic t-dance (though presumably without the dancing, since that’s banned under the province’s coronavirus directives). It’s hosted by DJ Montana and starts at 4 p.m.

Did we miss a Pride event taking place at a local spot this week? Send us a tip at montreal@eater.com.