Divers/Cité 2013 will be heating up Montreal’s Old Port with an expanded presence for the 21st edition, July 29 to August 4, 2013…

Divers/Cité is an LGBT festival that invites people from all walks of life to enjoy dance, music, culture and diversity every summer with a spectacular array of performances and events. Divers/Cité will not only be returning to Quai Jacques-Cartier in the Old Port, but will be spilling over into the tranquil Bassin Bonsecours Island, and even Clock Tower Beach! The new Divers/Cité will top itself as the one the best summer festivals in Montréal.

The two iconic Divers/Cité raves Sunset Party (August 3) and La Grande Danse (August 4) will also be going above and beyond this year with a roster of world-renowned house music DJs like David Morales, Frankie Knuckles, Hector Romero, DJ Memê, CHUS + CHEBALLOS, David Penn, Patrick M and Nicola Terriero. And North America’s largest drag show, Mascara (August 3) will be putting on its 16th edition with the mistress of ceremonies and creator, Mado Lamotte. The evening will be a massive event of Broadway, Vegas, and Bollywood inspired performances from Drag legends and new-comers.

Unlike previous years, Divers/Cité won’t be entirely free this year. Each major event like Sunset Party, La Grande Danse and Mascara will be $15 each with tickets available at the entrance. However if you become a “Friend of the Festival” for $15 you will get a wrist band with entrance to all events plus some exclusive parties. Limited quantities of these wristbands are available, so stay tuned for details!

THE DETAILS

Divers/Cité, July 29 to August 4, 2013

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From our fabulous Gay Village to our multiple LGBT festivals Montréal is one of the most gay-friendly places on Earth, and we take pride in celebrating our uniqueness. To keep up with Montréal’s eclectic queer community follow Tourisme-Montreal’s LGBT account QueerMTL on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube  and Instagram.

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We’ve curated what we think is a pretty great list of our favourite videos featuring Montreal-  check them out…

THE MAN WHO LIVED ON HIS BIKE: This short film by Guillaume Blanchet is simple, cute, and jaw-dropping. Montreal is one of the most bike-friendly places in North America with dedicated paths, trails and a city-wide public bike renting system called Bixi, not to mention the upcoming Montreal Bike Fest.

SEB TOOTS MONTREAL SNOWBOARDING RUN: We’re all happy that the trees of Mount-Royal are now leafy green and we can picnic, bike, hike, and hang around the Tam-Tams, but we can still reminisce about the fun winter things like this awesome video of Montreal native Seb Toots snowboarding.

SHANGELA PERFORMS “TURN ME OUT” AT MONTREAL GAY PRIDE: Shangela is an up and coming drag culture icon. During Fierté Montréal Pride 2012 she seriously turned it out in one of the fiercest performances to ever take the stage. Skillfully filmed by Tourisme Montreal videographer Guillaume Langlois.

SAINT-LAURENT: This adorable little love story features the coolest people and places of Boulevard Saint-Laurent. Can you spot your favorite?

COME LIVE SOME MONTREAL MOMENTS: What is a #MTLmoment? It’s a moment that is crazy, spontaneous, fun, with great friends and full of laughter. Those times when you say “I gotta Instagram this” while soaking up some of that Montréal je-ne-sais-quoi. Check out some #MTLmoments , or tag your own on Instagram.

YOURS TRULY, MONTREAL: For a museum that is built upon really old stuff (the ruins of the first settlement of Montréal) the Pointe-a-Callieres museum has some pretty cutting-edge features. Created by Moment Factory, Yours Truly, Montreal is an immersive video projection directly on these beautiful archeological sites. It’s make history fun!

MONTREAL – TRIBUTE TO LIVE THE LANGUAGE: A gorgeous video that hits all the “raphys”: Geography, Cinematography, Typography. A tribute to Live the Language by Xuan Pham and Roman Koscianski.

LES BOULES ROSES: Claude Cormier’s “Les Boules Roses” in Montréal’s Gay Village have become an integral part of summer in the Gay Village. People flock to the terraces that pop up along Saint-Catherine when the pedestrian-only festival Aires Libres starts every May, and the pink balls cast a dreamy glow over each and every one. Fabulous!

FITZ & FOLLWELL.: Who doesn’t like a video with a cute puppy and trendy bikes? Fitz & Follwell is definitely the trendiest place to get a personally guided bike tour of Montréal. Oh, and the tour usually comes with some form of Montreal snack/beverage.

FIREWORKS IN MONTREAL: The amazing International Fireworks Competition that lights up the Montreal skyline twice a week from June 22 to August 3rd, 2013. This video is just a sneak peek of what you can expect from this year’s edition, but every year they manage to make it even more dazzling.

BONUS VIDEO:

I’LL FAIT BEAU DAS L’MÉTRO: This is the amazingly campy first advertising campaign for Montréal’s Metro that was released in 1976. Kudos to anyone who does a 2013 version, guerrilla style. Montréal’s Metro is the fastest way to get anywhere, and if you’re coming into the city for a trip they have great deals on weekend passes!

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Fierte Montreal Pride 2011 was like a carnival of fun and acceptance. People came out in herds to support the community, educated themselves of prevalent issues, and just be really gay together. Even though both Saturday and Sunday had called for rain, the weather held out for the main events. Montreal was just bursting with pride and it’s such an awe-inspiring sight to see the village crawl with every walk of life, and see the parade route lined with people looking for a show.

Community Day: This has long been my favourite day. It was a chance for community organizations and corporations to show what they offer to the LGBT community. The amount of activities, clubs and charities in Montreal is really staggering, and it takes a day like community day to really wrap your head around them all and get involved!

The Parade: No matter how big or how small each float was, they all left an impact on the crowd. From the Bieber look-a-like in a Chariot pulled by shirtless men, to the massive BBCM/Circus Afterhours Float featuring a selection of gay porn stars, everything was at least interesting to watch. Once again the gay cheerleaders and the Bolo Club Gay line dancers brought the fun and funky music. Can you believe they do that for like, three hours? Insane.

Never failing to give me goose-bumps was the minute of silence along the entire Parade route to honour those lost to discrimination, hate crimes, and AIDS/HIV. You could honestly hear a pin-drop in Montreal during those sixty seconds. Unfortunately for the Queer of the Year float, once their firetruck engine turned off for the moment of silence, they couldn’t get it started again. The parade was stalled for a good 10 minutes, but in a huge surge of pride and community spirit, parade watchers all banded together and actually pushed the firetruck down the street and out of the way. Getting a boost from a Police van, the Queer of the Year float was again on it’s way!

Wrapping up the parade was the big green TD Float. Complete with sexy half naked people giving away free stuff. Gotta love corporate sponsors! At the end of the parade, everyone funnelled into the T-Dance, where people danced the night away. Montreal kissed the LGBTQ community goodnight and had everyone already looking forward to next year.

The post GAY PRIDE MONTREAL 2011: IT’S GOOD TO BE GAY appeared first on Tourisme Montréal Blog.

THE RIGHTFUL WINNER Jason Wimberly! Jason, oh Jason. I will admit here and now that I did pre-judge what kind of person Jason was going to be before I met him. My first impressions were less than favourable. Oh boy was I wrong! What emerged was a gentile and kind person, with a great sense of humour. While his feet are not exactly firmly planted on the ground, they’re still touching in 6-inch stilettos. Some are saying that maybe Jason didn’t deserve to win, as he already has so much going on in his life. I disagree, he really did win fair and square. Taking first place in five out of the six challenges. He even got the peer vote during the Community Spirit challenge:

So I can say firmly that Jason Wimberly: You got Q. You have sex appeal (look at those abs!), talent (your most pie was… just delicious), personality (and then some), community spirit (represent!) and a healthy lifestyle (you still got second, so werk!).

THE SORE LOSER Now, I’m not one that’s ever interested in getting involved with drama, but there are a few things that happened in the final days of Queer of the Year that do need to be addressed. More specifically, Christine’s attitude. She claims not to be a sore loser but watching her final confessional is almost laughable. My mouth literally fell open when I heard the things she said. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned? I just don’t understand how anyone could say that to anyone. All the other runner ups, have been nothing but graceful. Especially Tim, who came second and left with a big smile on his face. I feel like some people were just happy to be there, and she let losing get to her head. Bummer, cause I thought my Brooklyn Girl was going to be all smiles and sunshine for the entire competition! So Christine, you still got plenty of Q, but I think you went the wrong direction when it came to your reaction:

THE PARADE Those rainclouds didn’t rain on our parade! Even with a sad weather forecast, we managed to get nothing but blue skies and sunshine! The gays brought the power of pride, acceptance, and rainbow flags for thousands and thousands of people! The Queer of the Year float was a svelte Firetruck that everyone danced and waved from.

Unfortunately, things did not go without a hitch. After the moment of silence, the firetruck failed to become un-silenced. As in the firetruck broke down and blocked the parade route for about 15 minutes. In a huge surge of pride and community spirit, the parade watchers surrounding the truck all banded together and pushed it off to the side! What a sight! Christine was missing for the first part of the parade due to feeling ill, but luckily she got to join in later on.

Jason rallied for hours and hours and never stopped dancing! Eric and Tim were really fun to look at cause they’re both so pretty. Yenna was always the beautiful flower perched up top with a big smile the entire time. I think everyone had a great day!

A BIG GOODBYE Even with the contest over, we all had an amazing time. I think all of us (contestants, producers, cameramen, editors, gay bloggers, hosts) have fallen in love (some all over again) with Montreal. We all made some life-long friends, and we will never forget this experience! This insider has a scoop that some of the contestants even want to take pro-active steps into making Montreal their home! Let’s hope they do!

The post QUEER OF THE YEAR: DAY 6 & 7 appeared first on Tourisme Montréal Blog.

Kat Coric with artist Yunus Chkirate

KAT CORIC is a Montreal icon and respected activist on the international scene for her life work in HIV/AIDS and Drug Prevention. Presented with the Coup de Coeur Award by the Quebec Council of Gays and Lesbians in 2010. She’s also a kick-ass art agent, instigator and rocks leather chaps or a Chanel suit equally fiercely. Find her here.

“I am most excited for the t-dance that happens at Parc Émilie Gamelin. The T-dance is always guaranteed fun because its outside in the fresh air, its always well attended and the music is amazing with the best in local DJ talent. I am also excited for Café des Arts because Yunus Chkirate and Charlotte Greenwood are exhibiting their works of art. Also, the greatest thing about being at Celebrations de la Fierté is the incredible feeling of love and freedom that is in the air. Montrealers are educated and tolerant of one another. I love that! We dont care what sexuality you are, just as long as you are here to dance and have fun. This is something special that we have here and I hope the world is watching. Also there are lots of Leather Daddies: They’re fun, they have HARD hairy muscle chests you can lean on, they grab you by your tiny waist with their big strong arms and make you feel all safe and comfy. What’s not to love? GAY PRIDE 2011, IT’S FUN!“

Mado Lamotte

MADO is a world renowned Drag Queen, entertainer, singer and author who owns the premiere Drag cabaret in Montreal: Cabaret Mado. An electrifying personality and quick wit has launched this Queen to the top!

“I think Montreal is one of the best place to celebrate pride because we have a way of living that is so cool and accepting that we don’t need to scream for our rights much anymore. Of course there always will be stupid people who judge our way of living but generally the population of Montreal is very welcoming and accepting toward the gay community. And what I like the most about Montreal’s pride is that it’s celebrated not only by gay people but by most of the population of Montreal. This is how fabulous Montreal is!“

Richard "Bugs" Burnett

RICHARD “BUGS” BURNETT writes the POP TART blog for The Montreal Gazette and Canada’s national Three Dollar Bill column and blog.

“Some folks question in this increasingly “post-gay” world whether we still need Gay Pride. And I say, “Yes, we do!” I was one of the original organizers of Montreal’s gay Divers/Cité Festival and a couple weeks ago when I asked the same question to Divers/Cité co-founder Suzanne Girard – one of my personal heroes – she scolded me: “There will always be Pride parades!” Suzanne told me. “You need them for the youth. They will always need to come out and it’s always hard.” Divers/Cité passed the Pride baton on to Fierté Montreal Pride in 2007, and I’m so happy Fierté Montreal Pride have continued my favourite moment during the parade each and every year: The minute of silence, in remembrance of all of those who cannot be with us, and to all of those we have lost to AIDS. When tens of thousands of people along the parade route raise their fists up in the air in silence, it still gets me right here. It’s also what sets Montreal’s Pride parade apart from every other Pride parade I’ve attended around the world. This year during the parade the minute of silence will begin at 2:30 p.m.“

Jean-Pierre Pérusse (middle)

JEAN-PIERRE PÉRUSSE is the Founder of Radical5, Artist, Actor, Artistic Director of Bad Boys Club Montreal, Activist, Inspiration, and director of many productions in the Gay Circuit that have all received international acclaim. Find him at Pride 2011 at Cafe des Arts.

“Montreal is the best place to celebrate pride because it’s a homegrown but inclusive pride that we love to share with the world! The open-mindness of this city makes it a place where a person can flourish personally, commonalty, sexually and artistically setting the stage for an ambiance and experience that you won’t find anywhere else. That ‘‘je ne sais quoi ’’ that makes you want more! May it be by it’s variety of artists, shows and exhibitions like the open-air and engaging Café des Arts Exhibition, by the record breaking number of organizations and community groups, businesses and sports teams run by and/or catering to the LGBTA community at the of Community Day or the over the top, indoor and outdoor parties, mainlining international and local DJ’s like STEPHAN GRONDIN at the Mega T-Dance at Emilie-Gamelin Parc, or the ceremonial and emotional minute of silence during the parade to honor those that are gone and have fought for our rights, there is NO WAY you can be bored or not find something that will make fall in love with this city. I’m a native montrealer and I love Montreal, but most of all, I’m proud!“

A

THE DETAILS
Fierte Montreal Pride, August 9-14, 2011

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OK, so not really. But 3011: Odyssey of the Future is the theme of Montreal’s Gay Pride Celebrations 2011, which uses the future to inspire creativity, to engage participants to think how far we’ve come in the five years of Montreal Pride and to imagine where the next millennium will take us. Montreal Pride 2011 invites everyone to go wild with their visions of the future, be it intergalactic  travel, laser beam stun guns, or a sexy alien underwear invasion. I’m already designing my special space suit, complete with alien blasting hyperbeams. (Special Space Suit: Wearing the least amount clothes as possible without being arrested, and strapping toilet paper tubes wrapped in tinfoil on my head. It’s still in prototype stage…)

For the second year in a row, Montreal will be “Sharing the Pride.” Montreal is a world leader in diversity and gay rights, however there are many countries around the world where basic human rights are violated every day. This is an initiative to spread pride and diversity around the world, so we can all hope to a better and brighter planet long before 3011. This year’s Grand Marshal will be Cameroonian lawyer Alice Nkom, a worldwide activist for LGBTQ rights.

The parade will once again rocket down Rene-Levesque Blvd in the heart of Downtown on Sunday, August 14, between Guy and Sanguinet (heading east). For 2.35 kilometres, thousands of LGBT, Queer, and Straight spectators will show line the streets to cheer on and support this pride movement! Floats to look forward to are Mado‘s (who last year glided above the parade in a tall cherry picker.), TD Bank‘s massive green truck complete with hundreds of shirtless men covered in green glitter, and my personal favourite: The Gay Line Dancing Group. The Parade will end at Parc Emilie Gamelin, where the huge T-Dance Mega Dance party. Oh the pride! Oh the memories we will have.

Lots of activities and events are schedule to happen during this 4 day event, like Community Day on Saturday, August 13. Keep on eye out for more information being released every day! Check back at the Montreal Buzz for complete Pride, Divers/Cité, and Queer of the Year coverage in the coming weeks. My spaceship is waiting to take me back to my new home planet of KAWF33, so I’ll see you in the year 3011! (August 9-14, 2011)

A

THE DETAILS

Montreal Pride Celebrations: 3011 – Odyssey of the Future, August 9-14, 2011

Community Day: Saturday, August 13 in the Gay Village

Parade: Sunday, August 14 on Rene Levesque between Guy and the Gay Village.

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