In the second and final round of voting Stockholm was eliminated and Toronto won 78% of the vote, fulfilling the 2/3 majority needed to finalize the selection process. In the first round of voting, Toronto won 77 votes compared to Stockholm's 61. Petersburg, Florida, the InterPride membership voted to accept the bid of Pride Toronto to host WorldPride 2014 for the first time in North America. Won't Stop." (2009), "+" (2017).Īt the 28th annual conference of InterPride, held in October 2009 in St. He marched alongside politicians of all parties, including several federal and provincial cabinet ministers and Mayor David Miller.Ī theme is selected for each Pride festival that reflects the current context of the queer community and helps shape the festivities. In the 2005 parade, newly appointed Toronto police chief Bill Blair became the first chief of police in the city's history to personally take part in the parade. Toronto's Pride Week evolved out of the mass protests that followed the 1981 Toronto bathhouse raids, and celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2005. The festival is often touted as being one of the largest cultural festivals in North America and the 22 city blocks that make up the festival site is closed to vehicular traffic. Although a definitive count of attendees cannot be determined, estimates in recent years have ranged from 500,000 to over one million for the week, and about 100,000 for the parade itself. Main events of Pride Toronto's festival include the Trans March, the Dyke March and the Pride parade.