Local Toronto Pride organizers seek to welcome the world

International revellers have long flocked to Toronto’s annual Pride Week, but in 2014 the whole world might be invited.

Yesterday, Pride Toronto announced its bid to host World Pride in 2014. Toronto’s Pride Week is already one of the biggest such events worldwide, but in 2014 organizers would like to “kick it up a few notches,” said Mark Singh, chair of the bid committee and current co-chair of Pride Toronto. “Basically, we’re just making our event, which is already such a globally popular event, into something a lot bigger and on the world’s stage.” Toronto’s pitch will be made at October’s InterPride annual general meeting in St. Petersburg, Fla. Singh said he believes Stockholm is the only competition. The event would fall during the regular Pride week in 2014, but would be substantially bigger and more expensive, costing an estimated $10 million rather than the $4 million spent this year. Pride Toronto would need some financial support.

The provincial government provided $350,000 for this year’s festivities, and Premier Dalton McGuinty has already provided a letter of support for the bid. Singh said the federal government pitched in $400,000 this year and he hopes for more next year.