East End Kids Pride 2025

East End Kids Pride 2025!
Community Art Program
Workshops & Exhibit: Multiple Dates from April – June, 2025
Pride Parade Day: Sunday June 1, 2025 in Dentonia Park
FREE to participate!

You are invited to join us for East End Kids Pride 2025, an opportunity to come together with rainbow families, friends, neighbours, and the east end queer community to celebrate #EastEndLove and queer joy! This year’s program theme is “Magical Metamorphosis” (scroll down to learn more about the meaning behind it). There are multiple ways to get involved and enjoy this year’s Family Pride Programming, including free and fun arts workshops for kids and families, a Kids Pride Art Exhibition at St. Matthew’s Clubhouse, and of course the big Parade & Celebration Day on Sunday June 1st in Dentonia Park! The Parade Day will feature a magical parade led by Shadowland Theatre, face-painting, dancing, snacks, art stations, an arts market, and much more! Scroll down to learn about how you can participate in East End Kids Pride this year!

ABOUT EAST END KIDS PRIDE:

In June 2023, an awesome 7-year-old kid asked her two moms if she could organize a Pride Parade for her friends who are rainbow kids or who are part of rainbow families. Six days later, over 300 people came out to celebrate the first East End Kids Pride in Toronto’s Maryland Park, near Main & Danforth. It became abundantly clear that this event was long overdue and it has launched a much-anticipated annual event in Toronto’s east end.

Initiated and led by a grassroots group of parents, kids, and community members living in Toronto’s east end (including the rainbow family that started it all). East End Arts and Shadowland Theatre are thrilled to be coming on board for the second year in a row to support this year’s East End Kids Pride initiative! This east end pride program is youth-inspired, youth-led, and invites families of all shapes, sizes, and colours to be a part of the magic!

HOW TO GET INVOLVED:

A) FREE ARTS WORKSHOPS!
These arts workshops are all about making rainbow kids feel celebrated, empowered, and welcomed within their community.

  1. Drop-In Portrait Painting & Button Making Workshop #1 with unicorn shannon
    DATE: Sunday April 13, 2025
    TIME: 12:30-3:30PM
    LOCATION: St. Matthew’s Clubhouse, 450 Broadview Ave.
    AGES: Youth and Teens 13+
    ABOUT: LGBTQIA2+ youth (teens), families, and friends are invited to pop by St. Matthew’s Clubhouse to create a portrait of yourself, your friends, or your family, that expresses who you are and what you believe in! Led by local queer artist unicorn shannon, participants will receive an 8×10” canvas to paint on. All completed portraits will be displayed in the East End Pride Art Exhibition at the Clubhouse in June! There will also be button making happening on site too for anyone interested. All materials included. Drop-ins are welcome, but we appreciate pre-registration too.
    REGISTRATION LINK: HERE
  2. Drop-In Portrait Painting & Button Making Workshop #2 with Jessica Hein
    DATE: Saturday April 26, 2025
    TIME: 12:30-3:30PM
    LOCATION: St. Matthew’s Clubhouse, 450 Broadview Ave.
    AGES: Kids 12 and under
    ABOUT: 2SLGBTQIA+ Kids, families, and friends are invited to pop by St. Matthew’s Clubhouse to create a portrait of yourself, your friends, or your family, that expresses who you are and what you believe in! All participants will be given an 8×10” canvas to paint on. All completed portraits will be displayed in the East End Pride Art Exhibition at the Clubhouse in June! There will also be button making happening on site too for anyone interested. All materials included. Drop-ins are welcome, but we appreciate pre-registration too.
    REGISTRATION LINK: HERE
  3. Screen-printing T-Shirt Workshop with Jackie Lee from Secret Planet Print Shop
    DATE: Saturday May 3, 2025
    TIMES: 11AM-1PM for kids 12+ under; 2-4PM for teens 13+ (two time slots)
    LOCATION: St. Matthew’s Clubhouse, 450 Broadview Ave.
    AGES: 12 + under (11AM-1PM), and teens 13+ (2-4PM)
    ABOUT: Kids and youth are invited to join east end artist Jackie Lee in a mixed media t-shirt making workshop! We will be making t-shirts using paints, markers, and screen-printing techniques! The designs will feature a beautiful butterfly-themed screenprint that youth can customize and make their own. Registration is required and spaces are limited.
    REGISTRATION LINK: HERE
  4. Banner and Printmaking Workshop with Naz Rahbar of ArtCave
    DATE: Saturday May 10, 2025
    TIMES: 11AM-1PM for kids 12+ under; 2-4PM for teens 13+ (two time slots)
    LOCATION: St. Matthew’s Clubhouse, 450 Broadview Ave.
    AGES: 12 + under (11AM-1PM), and teens 13+ (2-4PM)
    ABOUT: Calling all kids, youth and queer fam! You’re invited to join local east end artist Naz Rahbar for a banner and printmaking workshop! Get your hands dirty with some printmaking. Celebrate your joy and pride and make a banner to honor the true essence of Pride with us. Participants will have the opportunity to make their own banners and posters to showcase in the Pride Parade on June 1st in Dentonia Park. All materials included. Registration is required, and seats are limited!
    REGISTRATION LINK: HERE
  5. Butterfly Puppet Making with Shadowland Theatre
    DATE: Saturday May 24, 2025
    TIMES: 11AM-1PM for kids 12+ under; 2-4PM for teens 13+ (two time slots)
    LOCATION: St. Matthew’s Clubhouse, 450 Broadview Ave.
    AGES: 12 + under (11AM-1PM), and teens 13+ (2-4PM)
    ABOUT: Kids & youth are welcome to join this free butterfly-themed puppet-making workshop led by Shadowland Theatre! In keeping with this year’s theme of Magical Metamorphosis, participants are invited to come and make their own beautiful butterfly puppet that can be customized with colours, stencils, messages, and more. These puppet will be attached to a rod that can be held up and displayed through the East End Kids Pride Parade! Come and learn a new art skill and make a beautiful piece of puppetry. Registration required, and seats are limited.
    REGISTRATION LINK: HERE

B) PARADE & CELEBRATION DAY!

DATE: Sunday June 1, 2025
TIMES: 10AM-2PM
LOCATION: Dentonia Park (on the Soccer Field)
AGES: ALL AGES, FAMILIES, FRIENDS, & ALLIES!
ABOUT: To kick off Pride Month, we invite everyone to share their community love and joy on Sunday June 1st, 2025 in Dentonia Park for the East End Kids Pride Parade & Celebration! The day will feature a magical parade led by Shadowland Theatre with music and stilt walkers, face painting, dancing, snacks, an arts market, performances, and so much more! You can RSVP to our Facebook Event so we know how many people are coming, and stay tuned for the lineup of events and performances taking place on this day. We will share here more on our webpage here once it’s confirmed!

C) QUEER ARTS MARKET!

DATE: Sunday June 1, 2025
TIMES: 10AM-2PM
LOCATION: Dentonia Park (on the Soccer Field)
AGES: ALL AGES, FAMILIES, FRIENDS, & ALLIES!
ABOUT: This year’s East End Kids Pride Parade & Celebration will feature a new and exciting Queer Arts Market! This market will support queer artists who make or sell family-friendly artwork and goods. Plus, a section of this market will be reserved for kids and youth to participate. Tables, chairs, and tents will be provided for those who don’t have their own. Come and be a part of the magic of our East End Kids Pride Parade Day by showing off and selling your art! If you are interested in applying to this Queer Arts Market opportunity, please visit our Application Page found HERE.

D) EAST END PRIDE ART EXHIBITION!

DATES: Wednesday June 18 – Sunday June 22, 2025
TIMES: Various Times Each Day
LOCATION: St. Matthew’s Clubhouse, 450 Broadview Ave.
AGES: ALL AGES, FAMILIES, FRIENDS, & ALLIES!
As part of the June Pride festivities, we will be hosting our first East End Pride Art Exhibition at St. Matthew’s Clubhouse! This exhibition will feature the incredible artwork created by kids and youth of the 2025 Kids Pride Arts workshops (Portrait Painting, Banner Making, Flag Making, Tshirt Making, and more!) Exhibition times will be confirmed closer to the date. Please come out to see the artworks and support local LGBTQIA2+ youth and kids in the east end!

EAST END KIDS PRIDE 2025 THEME:

This year’s East End Kids Pride theme is “Magical Metamorphosis”. This theme was selected by the kids/youth and parent group behind East End Kids Pride, and it has a beautiful meaning and message behind it. Butterflies are powerful symbols of Transformation and Rebirth. The butterfly’s metamorphosis from a caterpillar to a beautiful winged creature is a prime example of transformation, making it a symbol of change, growth, and the ability to evolve. It’s all about the journey of self-discovery, growth, and inspiration that helped shape this year’s theme choice. We hope you will join us for the parade day with this theme in mind! There will also be fun butterfly-themed merch on site for people to purchase by donation.

The East End Kids Pride program is all about celebrating QUEER JOY! It will foster community relationships and actively, boldly, and colourfully celebrate the diversity within our community and neighbourhoods. As always, allies, comrades and co-conspirators are invited to celebrate as part of this program.

A big thank you to the partners and sponsors of this event, including the individuals who have contributed financially as part of the GoFundMe Campaign set up to raise funds for this amazing program!

FUNDERS & SPONSORS

More on our Funders & Sponsors Coming Soon!

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