MONTRÉAL, Aug. 23, 2019 /CNW Telbec/ - The 13^th edition of the Montréal Pride Festival, presented by TD in collaboration with Casino de Montréal, will certainly have left its mark on all of this year's sexual and gender diverse festival-goers. Over 250 activities drew over 2.5 million visitors between August 8 and 18, 2019, during what was the largest gathering of LGBTQ+ communities in Canada and the Francophone world. The color violet, the last color on the rainbow flag, was highlighted as this year's color theme. The symbol of spirituality among the communities of sexual and gender diversity, the color violet and its nuances evoke dreams, gentleness and peace.

"It is with great pride as well as great satisfaction that the organizing committee, the employees and the teams of volunteers of Montréal Pride are now at the stage of the 13^th edition's report card! Each year, we are surprised by the enthusiasm and interest shown for the rights and freedoms of our communities. I am particularly happy this year, with the major increase of the attendance rate at our community activities. These activities organized by the community organisations that are constantly reaching out to our often marginalized communities, are the very core of the Pride movement," stated Éric Pineault, Montréal Pride's founding president.

Incredible Attendance Levels!
Public support for the advocacy aimed at the full recognition of the SGD communities' rights and freedoms was once again abundantly manifest with the incredible participation levels that the Montréal Pride Festival's 13^th edition experienced. While the Parc des Faubourgs venue was twice declared at full capacity (16,500 persons), the community activities held at off-site venues also registered significant increases in attendance, often filled to capacity and/or sold out!

Community Day, Presented by LYFT and the Parade, Presented by Air Canada
Though the attendance survey and traffic study are incomplete and official results are expected to be released shortly, the Montréal Pride Festival organising committee is proud to announce that the Community Day presented by LYFT and the Parade presented by Air Canada have again set new records for participation and attendance. In fact, the Community Day presented by LYFT, with 169 kiosks, 99 of which were manned by community organisations, mobilized over 100,000 visitors. As for the Parade, presented by Air Canada, over 12,000 marchers paraded before a crowd estimated at some 325,000 people. The official numbers will be released shortly.

Pride is Political!
Once again this year, the Montréal Pride's Board of Directors, employees and volunteers paid close attention to its role as a standard-bearer for the claims and demands of the SGD communities. To that end, not only were the often invisible Asian communities were positioned at the head of the Parade, but the organisation also advocated for the further advancement of the rights of people living with HIV, of trans persons, of migrant trans persons, of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, of sex workers, of intersex persons and of LGBTQ+ seniors and of people living in countries where LGBTQ-phobia is legalized and/or promoted socially. For more information on the various issues related to sexual and gender diversity, see our July 11, 2019 Press release.

Still on Our Plate in 2019: WorldPride 2023!
While the organizing committee is already at work on the Montréal Pride Festival's 14^th edition, it will also, between now and October 20, 2019, have to accomplish the challenging task of obtaining the WorldPride 2023 licence. It is indeed on that particular date that the City of Montréal's final bid to win the licence to host the WorldPride 2023 event will be presented in Athens, Greece. When held in Montréal, this largest worldwide gathering of the sexual and gender diversity, will no doubt be the largest Festival — whatever the type of event , to be held in Canada in 2023!

The 2020 Montréal Pride Festival: August 6 to 16, 2020!
In 2020, the Montréal Pride Festival will once again present 11 days of celebrations, between August 6 and 16, 2020. Stay tuned for the details of this coming edition which will as always and once again be synonymous with both celebrations and advocacy for the sexual and gender diversity communities!

About the Montréal Pride Festival
Since 2007, at the initiative of Montréal's LGBTQ+ communities, the Montréal Pride Festival has promoted their rights and celebrated their cultural wealth and social advances. The largest gathering of the communities of sexual and gender diversity (SGD) in the Francophone world works locally on a daily basis while serving as a beacon of hope for people living in LGBTQ+ hostile regions of the globe. In 2018, the festival generated a total attendance of 2.1 million visitors. In 2019, the festivities will be held from August 8th to 18th. More information is available on the web page, the Facebook page, as well as Twitter and Instagram accounts.

SOURCE Montréal Pride Celebrations

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