MONTREAL -- Montreal’s annual Pride Week will be virtual this year, which was unwelcome news for some partiers, though organizers say they've managed to find other ways to make it count.
Still, losing out on the traditional party is worse than sad for a lot of local businesses.
Dozens of businesses rely on the major tourist draw to make up an important part of their summer revenue, and they’re not sure how to compensate for the loss.
“Pride Week is very busy, and that’s what allows us to save for the slow winter months,” says Vincent Bruno, who runs the Video Lounge Bar in the Gay Village.
During pride, even a nearby barbershop normally fills up with out-of-province and American tourists, says hairdresser Phung Long, who owns the shop on Ste. Catherine.
For Pride organizers, a major concern is how to keep the event popular, accessible and meaningful.
“We had a lot of beautiful plans and when we found out about the pandemic, and that everything would be cancelled, [it] was pretty difficult for us,” says Felicia Tremblay, a director at Pride Montreal.
“We were kind of asking ourselves what could we do more to make it even more accessible.”
Organizers say they were able to keep most of their sponsors. They looked into different platforms to let people watch shows and panels and even attend parties.
The festival begins August 10.
