Pride Toronto—the nonprofit organization that hosts Pride Week—will find out Sunday if its bid to host World Pride in 2014 is a success. The organization is pitching to host the event at InterPride’s annual general meeting in St. Petersburg, Florida, this week. The city of Stockholm is also bidding.
"We believe that hosting World Pride 2014 in Toronto will engage and inspire people from around the world, be a fabulous celebration of Pride, and showcase Toronto as one of the most diverse and accepting cities in the world," Mark Singh, Pride Toronto co-chairman, said in a statement on the organization's Web site.
Pride Week, held each June, is now in its 30th year. World Pride would fall during the regular Pride week, but would be substantially larger. "Bringing World Pride to Toronto will deliver the message that the international Pride movement is alive and well, that queers all over the globe are out and proud, and that Toronto is a city that embraces and celebrates diversity in all its forms," said Pride Toronto executive director Tracey Sandilands.
The first World Pride event took place in Rome in 2000. London is slated to host the next event in 2012, and after 2014 the event will be held every five years.
