What happens when you combine visual art, multimedia design, music, dance, burlesque, and social activism all with a queer twist? Revelers heading east-bound for Pride in Toronto will no doubt find out at the Gladstone Hotel. The international beacon for the LGBTQ+ community is hosting 10 days of alterna-queer events as part of their Pride at the Gaystone event series.

Running through Thursday, June 25th, Pride at the Gaystone is a creative hub of activity in tandem with the official Pride Toronto events. Every night will see a bevy of parties going down at the internationally renowned boutique arts hotel. Highlights include the launch of queer art shows 10x10 Photography Project and TSG (That’s So Gay): Fall to Pieces; Shameless Queer-eoke; Shady Tea (because drag queens melt in the sun); 90s Video Dance Party with Wannabe: Spice Girls Tribute Band; Nuit Rose, a queer contemporary art crawl; and so much more! (The full programming of Pride at the Gaystone can be viewed here.)

The Gladstone has been a pioneer in creating safe spaces for queer people in the west end of Toronto since 2003, with the then-famous Hump Day Bump parties. While the Gladstone has been doing arts-related LGBTQ+ programming ever since relaunching, their Pride programming really blossomed in 2010 with the launch of the annual 10×10 Photography Project and That’s So Gay (TSG).

Now, the Gladstone is renowned as an inclusive space, not just for members of the LGBT community but for all walks of life. The hotel has become that gathering place where communities collide and connect. It’s alchemic, and the perfect social alternative to the Church Street scene during Pride in Toronto.