Touching Grass at the Lesbo-Queer Picnic
UPDATE: Unfortunately DJ Thatz will not be playing the picnic, but there will be plenty of music to make you dance!
Are you a queer person who wants to touch grass with fellow queer people in the beautiful Montreal sun this August without supporting the corporatist Fierté Montréal? Do you wish to experience pride without compromise, by and for our communities? Look no further than the second annual Lesbo-Queer Picnic, which is being hosted by Wild Pride and the Quebec Lesbian Network (QLN) on Saturday, August 8th, under the comforting shade at Parc La Fontaine.
Although you can find hundreds of Montrealers lounging at the city’s many parks on any given summer day, the Lesbo-Queer Picnic is specifically geared towards facilitating a low-pressure environment to chat, meet fellow community members, and simply hang out. And what better place to host it than in the heart of the Plateau at Parc La Fontaine, with its tree-lined paths, duck-filled pond, and calming energy that makes you forget you’re in the center of the city? The park is equipped with washrooms, picnic tables, drinking fountains, and is accessible to people with reduced mobility.
The picnic is open to anyone and everyone who falls under the lesbo-queer umbrella. Whether you identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, pansexual, sexually fluid, asexual, or questioning, and whether you are a cis woman, trans person, non-binary person, or queer person, grab a picnic blanket and find a lush patch of grass. Snacks and non-alcoholic beverages will be available, but picnickers are strongly encouraged to also pack their own food and beverages. Bring a few friends, or come solo. Either way, the air will be ripe with connection. The relaxing atmosphere will be tied together with the beats of DJ Thatz, a local artist who mixes tech house and Brazilian groove, oftentimes at Le Club DD’s.
Formed in 2025 by a small group of queer people in the wake of Fierté Montréal’s failure to take a stance against Zionism and disavow its corporate sponsors profiting off the ongoing genocide in Palestine, Wild Pride describes itself as “a platform for queer people in Montréal to practice organizing, to create the events we want to see, and to gather with each other without sacrificing our values.” Vehemently refusing the notion that corporate sponsorship is a necessity, the collective is living proof that our community has the power to take the celebration of pride into our own hands. And with over one hundred well-attended events last year alone, many of which were put on in partnership with local organizations, it’s safe to say that Wild Pride’s demands are felt across the wider community.
Low-pressure, easy-going, and free events like the Lesbo-Queer Picnic are exactly what make Wild Pride as established and loved as it is in just a year of existing. With no ticket prices, pressure, or accessibility barriers, the picnic, like the rest of the Wild Pride program, is as inviting as can be. Although some of Wild Pride’s events are more structured, such as the strength and conditioning workshop at Infinity Movement, or the introductory dabke class at Parquette, the Lesbo-Queer picnic is one of many events that encourages people to wind down, bask in the sun, and take the time to socialize and build connections with their neighbours.
Formerly hosting a Lesbian BBQ, the QLN is one of many local organizations that joined forces with Wild Pride last year to create a pride that truly belongs to the people. Like Wild Pride, the QLN emphasizes strength in numbers, inter-generational connections, and the visibility of our community beyond superficial representation from those who oppress us. Both organizations also have a shared interest in the preservation of lesbian history in Montreal. While the QLN’s website is filled with archives documenting its activism since its founding in 1996, as well as a Lesbo-Queer directory mapping various community organizations and networks across Quebec, Wild Pride’s August 9th March has been planned around an organizer’s research into Montreal’s lesbian history. The route makes its way through the Plateau, once home to a plethora of lesbian bars, bookstores, and community organizations. As marchers take to the streets to resist, celebrate, and grieve, they’ll also have the opportunity to learn about those who stood in the same places before us.
Wild Pride runs until the 15th of August. For more information on their events, check out the event list here, and our recent feature on the organization here. If you support pride without corporate compromise and hope to see many more Wild Prides in the future, consider donating here. At a time when many mainstream pride events are tied to institutions complicit in colonial violence and global oppression, uplifting an explicitly anti-capitalist, community-led pride that rejects the appropriation of our identities is more important than ever.
WHAT: Lesbo-Queer Picnic presented by Wild Pride and the Réseau des lesbiennes du Québec
WHERE: Parc La Fontaine
WHEN: Saturday, August 8, 2026, from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m
METRO: Sherbrooke (Orange)
DETAILS: Here
