East End Kids Pride 2026!
Workshops: May 2, 9 and 13, 2026 (REGISTER FOR WORKSHOPS BELOW)
Parade Day: Sunday May 31, 2026 in Dentonia Park (RSVP ON FACEBOOK HERE)
All FREE to participate!
You are invited to join us for East End Kids Pride 2026, 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 “Fantastical Fairies and Fauna” (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 Queer Arts Market, and of course the big Parade & Celebration Day on Sunday May 31st 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!
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.
Tote Bag Screen-Printing Workshop with Vincy!
DATE: Saturday May 2, 2026
TIME CHOICES: 2 time slots to pick from – 12:00pm-1:30pm OR 2:00pm-3:30pm
LOCATION: St. Matthew’s Clubhouse, 450 Broadview Ave.
AGES: Open to kids and parents, teens, and youth. Please note that ages 13 and under must be accompanied by an adult.
ABOUT: Kids, families and youth invited to join east end artist Vincy in a mixed media tote bag making workshop! In honor of East End Kids Pride, we will be making a rainbow of beautiful bag designs using paints, markers, and screen-printing techniques, all with the theme of “Fairies and Fauna” in mind! Think toads, mushrooms, fairies, butterflies, and more! Registration is required and spaces are limited. Priority given to youth from the east end of Toronto.
ABOUT THE FACILITATOR: Vincy (they) is a Chinese Canadian non-binary lesbian disabled award-winning cartoonist, multimedia illustrator, and workshop programmer. Blurring the line between memories, the subconscious, and day to day actions, they create dreamy worlds which we are invited into for an intimate heart to heart conversation. Striving for community care and connection for survivors by a fellow survivor, growing and learning to love and accept the love given to them wholeheartedly.
Butterfly and Fairy Wing-Making Workshop with Shadowland!
DATE: Saturday May 9, 2026
TIME CHOICES: 2 time slots to pick from – 12:00pm-1:30pm OR 2:00pm-3:30pm
LOCATION: St. Matthew’s Clubhouse, 450 Broadview Ave.
AGES: Open to kids and parents, teens, and youth. Please note that ages 13 and under must be accompanied by an adult.
ABOUT THE WORKSHOP: Kids & youth are welcome to join this free butterfly and/or fairy wing-making workshop, led by Shadowland Theatre! Participants will have an opportunity to make butterfly puppets and/or decorate a set of wings that they can wear as part of the 2026 Kids Pride Parade Day. For wing creation, we will use simple templates, and a rainbow of colours and decorative materials for participants to embellish the wings in their own personal style. Older youth can also create a giant set of wings to lead the parade. Registration required, and places are limited. Priority given to youth from the east end of Toronto.
ABOUT THE FACILITATOR: Shadowland Theatre creates original theatre that entertains, engages, and inspires people to interact positively with each other and their environments. The company’s distinctive theatrical vocabulary includes puppetry, mask, stilt-dance, shadow puppetry, spectacle arts, and live music. Shadowland animates streets, parks and outdoor spaces with vibrant and large-scale images and is especially known for creating processional theatre. The company works with communities to animate local stories, create seasonal celebrations, and nurture an appreciation of public and green spaces.
Terrarium-Building Workshop with Venusrium!
DATE: Wednesday May 13th, 2026
TIME: 4-6PM
LOCATION: St. Matthew’s Clubhouse, 450 Broadview Ave.
AGES: Open to all Teens (14+) and Youth (29 and under). Please note that this workshop is designed for older youth and is not suitable for children.
ABOUT THIS WORKSHOP: 2SLGBTQIA+ teens and youth (with priority given to BIPOC folks) are invited to join in for a terrarium-building workshop. This interactive workshop can welcome up to 18 participants to create their own bio-active mini ecosystem. All materials provided, FREE to participate. Come enjoy this plant-based art form that blends ecosystems thinking and design, offering a unique, accessible way to engage with art beyond conventional materials. Space is limited, so sign up early! Priority given to youth members from the east end of Toronto.
ABOUT THE FACILITATORS:Venusrium is a collaboration between Mina Chow and Bree Jiang, two trans women of colour. They met at an orchid society meeting and quickly bonded over their love of plants, critters, and terrariums. Together, they aim to share their passion for building ecosystems and to cultivate community with fellow queer and trans hobbyists of colour. To learn more about their projects & workshops, find them on Instagram @venusrium.
B) PARADE & CELEBRATION DAY!
DATE: Sunday May 31, 2026
TIMES: 10:30AM-3:00PM
LOCATION: Dentonia Park (Southwest Side)
AGES: ALL AGES, FAMILIES, FRIENDS, & ALLIES!
ABOUT: To kick off Pride Month, we invite everyone to share their community love and joy on Sunday May 31st, 2026 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!
Full schedule of the Parade + Celebration Day activities, coming soon!
C) QUEER ARTS MARKET!
DATE: Sunday May 31, 2026
TIMES: 10:30AM-2:30PM
LOCATION: Dentonia Park (Southwest Side)
AGES: ALL AGES, FAMILIES, FRIENDS, & ALLIES!
ABOUT: This year’s East End Kids Pride Parade & Celebration will again feature a 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. Our Call for Artists for this is LIVE now, so apply!
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 third 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!
EAST END KIDS PRIDE 2026 THEME:
This year’s East End Kids Pride theme is “Fantastical Fairies & Fauna”! This theme was selected by the kids/youth and parent group behind East End Kids Pride, and is all about exploring our magickal selves — rainbow fairies, whimsical woodland creatures, fantastic flowers + fungi — a joyful transformation that celebrates the power of growing, glowing, and showing up as your unique, radiant self. We’re turning the park into a celebration of queer magic and youth-led brilliance, and we need your help to make it shine even brighter! Kids Pride is about fostering community relationships and actively, boldly, and colourfully celebrating the diversity within our community and neighbourhoods. As always, allies, comrades and co-conspirators are invited to celebrate as part of this program!
VOLUNTEER, DONATE, NEWSLETTER SIGNUP!
Are you interested in helping to financially support East End Kids Pride 2026?! This is a grassroots community event and initiative, and any and all money is used directly to pay artists, creators, and support overhead costs to make the parade celebration so magica. Visit the GoFundMe below to support!
Are you interested in joining us as a volunteer on Sunday May 31st for the Parade & Celebration day?! If so, click the button below to fill out the volunteer form, and we will be in touch soon.
Finally, if you would like to sign up for the East End Kids Pride Community Group Newsletter (the direct community newsletter only about Kids Pride events and programs) please sign up at the button below!
FUNDERS & SPONSORS
A big thank you to Workman Arts and the Slaight Family Foundation for supporting East End Kids Pride for the third year in row! Your support means so much. Also thank you to the incredible individuals who donated to the Community GoFundMe to support this grassroots intitative.
