Tri-Pride, stylized tri-Pride, is an annual non-profit lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer

Pride festival A pride parade (also known as pride march, pride event, or pride festival) is an outdoor event celebrating lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) social and self-acceptance, achievements, legal rights, and pride. The events ...

in the

Waterloo Region The Regional Municipality of Waterloo (Waterloo Region or Region of Waterloo) is a metropolitan area of Southern Ontario, Canada. It contains the cities of Cambridge, Kitchener and Waterloo (KWC or Tri-Cities), and the townships of North Dumfr ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, encompassing the cities of

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...

, Kitchener and Waterloo. Prior to the launch of

Guelph Pride Guelph Pride is an LGBT pride festival, held annually in Guelph, Ontario, Canada.

in 2003, the event also included the city of

Guelph Guelph ( ; 2021 Canadian Census population 143,740) is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. Known as "The Royal City", Guelph is roughly east of Kitchener and west of Downtown Toronto, at the intersection of Highway 6, Highway 7 and Wel ...

. tri-Pride is considered Canada's largest regional pride festival. The official name of the organization is tri-Pride Community Association Inc.

History

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 the one of the largest pride events in southern Ontario after

Toronto Pride Pride Toronto is an annual event held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, in June each year. A celebration of the diversity of the LGBT community in the Greater Toronto Area, it is one of the largest organized gay pride festivals in the world, fea ...

. The ''

Waterloo Region Record The ''Waterloo Region Record'' (formerly ''The Record'') is the daily newspaper covering Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada, including the cities of Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge, as well as the surrounding area. Since December 1998, the ''Re ...

'',

Labatt Brewing Company Labatt Brewing Company Limited (french: La Brasserie Labatt Limitée) is a Belgian-owned brewery headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1847, Labatt is the largest brewer in Canada. In 1995, it was purchased by Belgian brewer Int ...

, and the local CTV affiliate

CKCO-DT CKCO-DT (channel 13) is a television station in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. Part of the CTV Television Network, it is owned and operated by network parent Bell Media alongside London-based CTV 2 station CFPL-DT, although the two stations maintain ...

have been sponsors of the event. The 2011 edition included a horse race at Grand River Raceway in

Elora, Ontario Elora is a community in the township of Centre Wellington, Wellington County, Ontario, Canada. It is well known for its 19th-century limestone architecture and the geographically significant Elora Gorge. Elora is no longer an independent enti ...

which was claimed to be "harness racing’s first-ever Drag (Queen) Race". In 2012 6,000 people attended the event. Performers at the 2013 festival included

Gabe Lopez Gabe Lopez is an American pop-rock singer/songwriter and producer. He is of Mexican and Irish descent. Signed to Universal Music Group as a songwriter and to Spectra Music Group as an artist, Lopez has produced and written for Belinda Carlisle, ...

God Made Me Funky God Made Me Funky (GMMF) is a Canadian funk music group, formed in 1996 in Toronto.

Drake Jensen Drake Jensen (born April 15, 1970) is a Canadian country music artist. Biography Early life Drake Jensen was born in Glace Bay, Nova Scotia, on Cape Breton Island in Canada.Joseph BrownwellOut country artist Drake Jensen releases OUTlaw, ''Out & ...

, Sarah Smith and The Ecstatic. The tri-Pride Live Music Festival headliners for 2014 were

Thelma Houston Thelma Houston ( Jackson; born May 7, 1946) Retrieved . is an American singer. Beginning her recording career in the late 1960s, Houston scored a number-one hit record in 1977 with her recording of "Don't Leave Me This Way", which won the Grammy ...

and ''

Canadian Idol ''Canadian Idol'' is a Canadian reality television competition show which aired on CTV, based on the British show ''Pop Idol''. The show was a competition to find the most talented young singer in Canada, and was hosted by Ben Mulroney. Jon Dore ...

'' winner

Theo Tams Theo Tams (born 12 July 1985) is a Canadian singer and the winner of the Canadian Idol (season 6), sixth season of the CTV reality show ''Canadian Idol''. His debut album, ''Give It All Away (Theo Tams album), Give It All Away'', was released on 1 ...

. The organization almost disbanded in 2016 due to a lack of volunteers. In 2017 and 2019 the tri-Pride organization helped organize a Pride march in Kitchener. During tri-Pride in 2018, rainbow crosswalks were unveiled in Kitchener and Waterloo. Kitchener's crosswalk was paid for by the city. tri-Pride did not occur in 2020 or 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The event returned in June 2022.

Events

The event has often run from late May to early June. The festival's programming has at times started with raising the

Pride flag A pride flag is any flag that represents a segment or part of the LGBT community. ''Pride'' in this case refers to the notion of gay pride. The terms ''LGBT flag'' and ''queer flag'' are often used interchangeably. The rainbow flag is the most ...

at one of the city halls. A diverse range of events are held in all three cities, including musical, comedy, and drag performances. 2017's tri-Pride also saw crafting nights, pageants, support groups, and

yoga Yoga (; sa, योग, lit=yoke' or 'union ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines which originated in ancient India and aim to control (yoke) and still the mind, recognizing a detached witness-consciou ...

. tri-Pride's two-week-long program of events usually culminates in a weekend concert in Kitchener's Civic Square or Kitchener's

Victoria Park Victoria Park may refer to: Places Australia * Victoria Park Nature Reserve, a protected area in Northern Rivers region, New South Wales * Victoria Park, Adelaide, a park and racecourse * Victoria Park, Brisbane, a public park and former golf ...

References

External links

Official Website

External links

Official site
Recurring events established in 1995 Music festivals in Ontario LGBT festivals in Canada Festivals in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo 1995 establishments in Ontario LGBT in Ontario LGBT music festivals {{LGBT-event-stub