Celebration!

Saturday, June 25, 1983
The Concert Hall

In 1983, Toronto Pride events were held at King’s College Circle at the University of Toronto. The previous year’s events were held at Grange Park, near the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO), but increasing complaints by residents of that area pushed Pride festivities to this new location. Toronto Pride estimates that about 3,000 people attended the events in 1983, both an impressive show of solidarity at the time and a far-cry from the number of attendees at contemporary events. 

The GCDC’s dance on June 25, 1983 Celebration! tapped into Pride energies. Alongside Halloween and New Year’s Eve celebrations, Pride dances were among the GCDC’s most well-attended and profitable. At this dance, DJs Paul Ritter, Krys Shepherd, Dave Nash, and Ilona Laney spun records on the Masonic Temple’s two dance floors.