Celebrating Pride on PEI
/A Primer for LGBTQ Travellers
Prince Edward Island has come a long way to championing and celebrating LGBTQ rights in the span of a few decades. The Island’s Pride Festival is celebrating its 24th year in 2018, and the Island is home to Canada’s only openly gay Premier. Like the rest of Canada, PEI has legally recognized same-sex marriage for well over a decade.
Moreover, the province has rolled out the welcome mat when it comes to making LGBTQ travellers feel at home. Supported in part by the provincial government, the PEI Gay Tourism Association commissioned a series of videos profiling real-life queer Island couples sharing their love of the Island. The Association also works with local Island businesses and tourism establishments to help owners and hosts make their offerings friendly to LGBTQ travellers.
Pride Week—held in 2018 from July 22-July 29—is now celebrated right across the Island, from events in cities like Summerside to beachside picnics. Festivities are hosted throughout the month of July, including BBQs, dance parties, drag shows, family events, and of course the Pride Parade in Charlottetown.
Charlottetown's Pride Parade is held the last week of July.
Closer to our little nest at The Hideout, the neighbouring village of Victoria-by-the-Sea will be hosting its second annual Pride parade on July 23. Locals and visitors alike will march up Main Street and celebrate with a reception.
Outside of Pride week, LGBTQ visitors will find a number of queer-friendly and queer-specific events throughout the year. Check out Pride PEI listings for information on Pride dances, trivia nights, and other social events. Be sure to visit the PEI Gay Tourism Association for an up-to-date listing on LGTBQ-owned and LGBTQ-friendly establishments right across the Island. Be sure to get out of the cities and wander off the beaten track. PEI's the kind of place where you'll find queer families, couples and entrepreneurs spread right across the Island, running eclectic antique shops, thriving organic farms, fabulous inns and cottages, and a host of other hyper-local, fiercely proud Island establishments.
Rainbow crosswalks at Charlottetown's main intersection.
Most importantly, know that the Island will extend a warm welcome to you, your lovers, and your loved ones. We’ve been blessed to call the Island home. The Hideout itself has played a pioneering role in serving LGBTQ travellers to the Island. In a previous incarnation, our home was an LGBTQ-run bed and breakfast called Evening Primrose, offering a comfortable home-away- from-home for LGBTQ travellers from around the world. The beautiful roses are still with us!
Contact us for questions and more information about travelling to the Island, insider tips for LGBTQ travellers, and how to make The Hideout your personal home base for exploring all the glorious riches the Island has to offer.
In the meantime, Happy Pride!
