We march because our struggles are far from over. We reject pinkwashing, corporate sponsorship, and the idea that our liberation can be separated from that of other peoples. Our march is radical, joyful, anti-colonial, and community-led.
When: August 9th, 2026, starting at 2pm
Start: the march will start at Parc Jeanne-Mance. (Corner of Av. de l’Esplanade and Rue Rachel, H2W 1T1)
End: La Fontaine Park (Av. Calixa-Lavallée, H2L 3A7)
Who can attend: All are welcome to attend the march!
Want to be volunteer at the march? Sign up here
Jump to section…
- Why March
- March Route and Accessibility Information
- March Agenda
- Historical Sites Along Route
- March Chants
Why March?
Because our struggles are far from over. Some have forgotten our roots and traded struggle for respectability. From Turtle Island to Palestine, corporate complicity in genocides has become the norm rather than the exception. Governments are rolling back trans rights as well as access to gender-affirming healthcare, all whilst blaming the rise of homophobia on racialised groups.
But we haven’t forgotten – they raided Truxx bar in 1977 making 146 arrests. Raided Sex Garage in 1990 leading to a three day riot. The street is the stage of our resistance.
In refusal of their sanitized parades funded by those who oppress us and use “queerness” to fulfill their imperialist agendas, Wild Pride has organised its second annual march. An unapologetic march, a grieving march. Radical, joyful and rooted in our values.
We will not give a second of our time to corporate pride. Our march is going in another direction literally and in spirit. We have no plans to take any action against the corporate parade.
We do not collaborate with the police and we are not legally required to do so. Municipal bylaw P-6, which once required submitting a route to the authorities, is no longer valid. Since 2019, no law requires us to collaborate with the SPVM to organize a demonstration.
We share our itinerary publicly, not to submit ourselves, but to take care. It is a gesture of community transparency. We want to give people the opportunity to organize safely, assess their limits, and feel welcome. This includes families, disabled folks, migrants, and immunocompromised individuals.
This is a march, open to all. We have nothing to prove, we are simply occupying the space that is rightfully ours. We will have our own security, by and for the community, trained with kindness and de-escalation in mind.
However the notion of a peaceful protest under police presence is impossible to conceive. There can be no justice or peace in a police state; the police is ultimately the most violent force.
Wild Pride maintains an abolitionist ideology, we dream of a world with no police, and no prisons. Until then, ACAB till our dying breath.
Whose streets? Our streets. Who keeps us safe? We do.
March Route and Accessibility Information
Route
The route is approximately 2.5km. It has a slight decline and no major incline.
We will begin the march with a minute of noise with the help of Durs À Queer. Earplugs will be available.
- Start at Jeanne-Mance Parc
- Down Rue Rachel
- Right on Rue St-Denis
- Left on Rue Sherbrooke
- Left on Av. Calixa-Lavallée
Historical Sites
Wild Pride will speak about the historical and queer significance of these locations.
Jump to details about historical sites along the route
- Pique-niques du Cercle des vieilles filles (1980-1983) @ Parc Jeanne-Mance
- L’Essentielle (1987-1991) @ 420 rue Rachel Est
- ♀’Side (1995-1998) @ 4075 B rue Saint-Denis
- Labyris (1982-1990) @ 3896 rue Saint-Denis
- Lilith (1983-1992) @ 3882-3884 rue Saint-Denis
- Plessisgraphe (1975-1990) @ C. 3774 rue Saint-Denis
Water Stations
Our volunteers will be set up with water along the route at the following locations. Please bring your own bottle and we can fill it up!
- 151 Rue Rachel – Café Névé
- Corner of Rue Rachel & St-Denis
- St-Louis Square
- Aqueduc over Rue Berri
- Sir Louis-Hippolyte La Fontaine Monument
Bathrooms
Jeanne Mance and La Fontaine have nearby indoor bathrooms and water fountains.
Contingents & Resources
- We will have free masks available, and we invite masked participants to form a contingent at the front of the March.
- We invite wheelchair users and people with mobility aids to form a contingent at the front of the March.
- We will have an LSQ interpreter for the speeches at Jeanne-Mance and for the historical sites. They will be identified by a vest, and they will be near the speakers.
- We will have a sound system at the front of the March, and we will have earplugs available if it gets too loud.
- A minibus will follow the March to offer participants a chance to rest should they need it.
- Our volunteers will have snacks (granola bars and apple sauce) and electrolytes available to prevent heatstroke and exhaustion.
Our Volunteers
- Our Volunteers will be identified by their brightly coloured vests or arm bands.
- Trained medics will be onsite with first aid kits and naloxone/narcan.
- Chant leaders will have megaphones to hype up the crowd, chant, sing, and lead crowd movements.
- Legal observers can inform you about your rights and take evidence should the need arise.
- Call 438-367-3376 if you need to talk to a lawyer.
- General support volunteers will help participants find the support/resource they need.
If we are missing something, let us know through our External Care Form (also found in our Instagram bio). If you would like to offer support or resources, email us at wildpridemtl@gmail.com.
March Agenda
Speakers & Speeches
Speeches will be made by community members on our values and collective struggles.
Kickoff with Durs À Queer
- The queer motorcycle club will kick-off the March with a minute of noise (earplugs will be available).
- Durs À Queer will then ride the route and wait for the March to arrive at La Fontaine Park.
Begin March
See our sections above for march route and accessibility details.
End Point
The March will end at La Fontaine Park, and we invite you to stay for a community hangout! An ideal spot to end our gathering – get comfy and enjoy some snacks and queer joy.
Historical Sites Along Route
Pique-niques du Cercle des vieilles filles (1980-1983)
📍Parc Jeanne-Mance
A historic and memorable gathering point. Here, the ‘Circle of XX’ held weekly Lesbian Sunday picnics throughout the summers of 1980-1983. They would share the latest Lesbian news by hanging in on clotheslines around the park.
L’Essentielle (1987-1991)
📍420 rue Rachel Est
In the heart of the Plateau, Martine Huysmans and Odette DesOrmeaux opened L’Essentielle in 1987. This bookstore served as a feminist and lesbian cultural hub: in addition to hosting book launches and gatherings, it provided information on cultural activities in Montreal. After L’Essentielle closed in 1991, it would take another 25 years for the current feminist bookstore, L’Euguélionne, to emerge on Beaudry Street.
♀’Side (1995-1998)
📍4075 B rue Saint-Denis
From the mid-1990s, queer bars in the Village were a big part of the Montréal scene. ’Side stayed true to the cultural vocation of Lilith and L’Exit II, forging a sense of belonging in the lesbian community by hosting an improv league, along with shows and exhibitions. Lesbians from all walks of life gathered there to have a beer, play pool and enjoy brunch on the weekend.
Labyris (1982-1990)
📍3896 rue Saint-Denis
The success of L’Exit led to the opening of a second bar: Labyris. As its name suggests, this bar was lesbians-only — the double-headed axe being a symbol of lesbianism. Labyris was intended as a place to dance and talk, but also as a venue for exhibition openings and gatherings. As Danielle Charest describes, its walls were adorned with “photos, engravings, drawings and paintings of lesbians … Labyris was a cross between the former Coopfemmes and a traditional bar.”*
Lilith (1983-1992)
📍3882-3884 rue Saint-Denis
Lilith was set up in a basement on Saint-Denis Street near two other bars popular with lesbians. Established by Pauline Lacroix, Lilith was designed to “foster human relationships and contacts … to promote lesbians first and foremost, their art … their work … their desire to meet one another.”* It was one of the city’s few bars owned by and for lesbians.
Plessisgraphe (1975-1990)
📍C. 3774 rue Saint-Denis
In 1975, photography graduates from the Cégep du Vieux Montréal founded Plessisgraphe. The group, which included Marik Boudreau, Suzanne Girard and Camille Maheux, managed a space that served as a photography and printing studio, as well as a news agency. In the darkroom, enlargers and developing baths revealed the faces of an electrifying lesbian community and the events that marked social and feminist struggles over several decades.
March Chants
- The people united will never be defeated! // Le peuple uni ne sera jamais vaincu!
- No pride without liberation! // Pas de fierté sans liberté !
- Whose streets? Our streets! // À qui la rue? À nous la rue!
- No cops at Pride! // Pas de police dans ma Fierté!
- What do we want? Justice! When do we want it? Now! // Qu’est-ce qu’on veut? Justice ! quand est-ce qu’on le veut ? maintenant!
- Siamo tutti antifascisti!
- Tout le monde déteste les faschiste
- Unity in the community // Unité dans la communauté!
- Power to the people! // Le pouvoir au peuple!
- No Pride in genocide
- Protect trans youth!
- No corporations at Pride!
- Liberation for all of us!
- No justice, no peace, fuck the police
- Free, free Palestine!
- End the occupation!
- Ceasefire now!
- From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!
- No hate, no fear, refugees are welcome here!
- Land back now!
- Every child matters!
- Indigenous sovereignty now!
- Justice now!
- Housing justice now!
- Disability justice now!
- Migrant justice now!
- Climate justice now!
- Reproductive justice now!
- Racial justice now!
- Queer rights, not war crimes!
- Who keeps us safe? We keep us safe!
- So-so-so solidarité avec, avec, avec la Palestine!
- La Palestine vivra, la Palestine vaincra !
- We’re here, we’re queer!
- Pride was a riot!
- No pinkwashing! No genocide!
- Disability justice now!
- Black lives matter!
- Queer liberation now!
- Trans liberation now!
- Trans rights now!
- Trans rights are human rights!
- From Turtle Island to Palestine, occupation is a crime!
- From Turtle Island to Palestine, liberation is our right!
- Liberation is our demand, occupation is not our plan!
- No borders, no nations, queer liberation!
- Our liberation is not your weapon!
- Queers for liberation, not occupation!