Beloved part of Pride festivities returning to Toronto after six-year hiatus

A beloved late-night arts event is making its long-awaited return to Toronto Pride Month in June after a six-year hiatus.

NUIT ROSE, an art festival presented by the Throbbing Rose Collective that showcases queer-made art, will once again be part of the city's massive Pride events in June. Spanning three days, the festival will feature a dynamic mix of exhibitions, performances, and interactive art.

"We started in 2014, and it was really intended to be a one-time event, but it was quite successful, and people wanted to continue it," Francisco Alvarez, co-founder of Throbbing Rose Collective, tells blogTO. What followed was a six-year run powered largely by volunteers and limited funding.

"So we managed to do it for six years running. But getting funding from the arts councils to present an event like this is very shoestring," Alvarez admits. Ultimately, in 2020, the pandemic halted operations.

"To be honest, nobody had really signed up for an ongoing permanent event. So the few of us who had stayed in the collective from the beginning were getting kind of burnt out." After months of lockdowns and an arts and cultural sector that "never really recovered" from the pandemic, the group assumed the project was over.

But a reunion at a concert changed that, and the collective officially reformed in 2024.

Before bringing NUIT ROSE back, the group focused on artist residencies across North America, helping establish a new structure that now includes 22 members. This year, they decided to test whether the event could resonate again, and the response was immediate.

"We put out a call for submissions late last year and received about 120 submissions," Alvarez says.

The event is now scheduled for the week before the big Pride parade weekend to avoid competing with larger crowds. One major difference this year is expanded programming in the Church-Wellesley Village, made possible through a collaboration with the local BIA.

"There is a street closure that they've organized. So that means we actually have a lot more space where we can install more activations and add more to the programming on a whole," Alvarez confirms. He also mentions that the popular Light Parade — where guests are encouraged to wear luminescent clothing and parade through the night — will also make a comeback this year.

Despite the announcement of its return, funding remains a balancing act. "We look for money from arts councils, but we also approach certain sponsors or individuals in the community who could support us with a small contribution," the co-founder says, noting that the scale of the festival ultimately depends on how much funding comes through.

This year, NUIT ROSE's theme is REWILDING, inviting attendees to "reclaim, reimagine, and reanimate queer space through light, sound, installation, live performance, and community activation."

It takes place from Jun. 18 to Jun. 20, with the main event happening on Jun. 20 from 6 p.m. onwards in Church–Wellesley Village.