For ticket information, email The gay village will close down to cars and open to pedestrians from Friday, June 27 until Sunday, June 29. The gala will be held at the Arcadian Court, above The Bay at Queen and Yonge, on June 25, 6:30 until 11 p.m. WorldPride Gala and Awards The World Pride gala and awards are held in support of Camp fYrefly, the country's only national leadership retreat for Canada's LGBTQ++ youth. Gilbert Baker, the artist who designed the iconic Pride flag, will be present at the free event, and drinks will be served, too. This year, Melissa Ethridge, Deborah Cox, and Steve Grand will perform, adding a little extra pizazz beyond the usual news that Rob Ford refused to show up. Opening ceremonies at Nathan Phillips Square The rainbow flag will be raised at City Hall on June 20, with the ceremony beginning at 7 p.m. Here's a breakdown of top events for World Pride 2014 (parties to come next!). So dig up your rainbow booty shorts, dancing shoes, and craziest wig, and start marking your calendars for one big, huge, proud festival. While Toronto's Pride week brings out about a million visitors each year, we'll see an even greater number of guests for this edition. It will mark the first World pride in North America, and the fourth ever international Pride festival. World Pride 2014 will be held here in Toronto the good this year.