Blockorama

Blockorama is the Black queer stage at Pride Toronto. It is curated by Blackness Yes!, a volunteer collective, and began in 1998 in a parking lot next to Wellesley subway station. Pride Toronto calls it the longest-running Pride celebration on its programme. It has long been political. In 2016 Black Lives Matter Toronto stopped the Pride parade, and one of its demands was stable funding and space for Blockorama, which had been moved around the festival site for years.

It runs on the Sunday of Pride weekend, the same day as the parade, at the Mill St. Wellesley Stage on Wellesley Street East from 2pm to 11pm. The programme is DJs, drag, ballroom and dancers, with community health and harm-reduction tables. General entry is free, and VIP tickets are also sold. In 2026 there was also Blocko After Dark, a late-night Saturday party at the same stage from 10pm to 2am.

The 2026 edition, “Blocko… To The Max”, was on Sunday 28 June, with After Dark the night before. Pride Toronto has been short of money since sponsors including Google and Nissan pulled out in 2025, which left a shortfall of about $900,000. We couldn't confirm an attendance figure. The 2027 date hadn't been announced when we checked.