Polar Pride Fest

Polar Pride Fest, a new Pride PEI initiative bringing vibrant winter celebrations to the community, runs from March 13–16 at venues in Charlottetown.

Festivities kick off March 13 at The Guild with the Dry Happy Hour Series (4–6 pm), featuring a panel discussion moderated by Chanel Briggs on the importance of identity-specific spaces. Later, PEIRSAC presents BDSM 101 Date Night (7–10 pm), a two-hour workshop facilitated by San Anbalagan. Meanwhile, a Double Bill Movie Night (7–11 pm) presented by City Cinema and curated by LACUNA will feature all-ages short films at 7 pm and the 19+ screening of Bound at 9 pm.

On March 14, the Dry Happy Hour Series (4–6 pm) at The Guild continues with Prioritizing Self-Care in 2025, a Pride PEI panel on wellness in the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. At 6:30 pm, the Black Cultural Society presents Hoop Til You Drop (Part 1) with Yigale at Downstreet Dance. The night wraps up with PJ’s, Pints & Pizza at Craft Beer Corner (8 pm–1 am), featuring karaoke with Marli Trecartin & Izzy Serebrov.

On March 15, the community can choose their own adventure from 1–4 pm. Activities include the Hoop Til You Drop (Part 2) workshop (12:30 pm), Intro to Hot Yoga with Scott MacTaggart at Modo Yoga (2–3 pm), and Creative Pride: Expressive Arts Studio with Julie Bull at The Guild (1–4 pm). The Vic Park Snow Day (1–4 pm) offers fort building, a hot chocolate pop-up with Old General Catering House, a snowshoe walk, and bonfire pits. PEITN’s Trans Clothing Swap (1–4 pm), a closed event for Trans+ individuals, takes place at the PEITN office. Other options include Drop-in Board Games (1–3 pm) at the Montague Rotary Library, Letting Go: An Introduction to Medicine & Song with Rainier Ward (1–3 pm), and a pole workshop (4–5 pm) at Aerial Warehouse.

That evening, the Pride Night Market at Founders Food Hall (6–10 pm) features outdoor bonfire pits, a s’more station, cocktail demonstrations, a disco skating rink, local musicians, and diverse vendors. The Polar Night Dance (10 pm–1:30 am) at The Mack closes the night with Siddhu Sneh (a.k.a. prettybitch.wav) and DJ STP DAD.

On March 16, a Drag Brunch at Abbiocco (10:30 am–12 noon) showcases the queens from BoLo Drag Haus with DJ Fundance. Pride Storytime (1–2 pm) welcomes all ages at the Charlottetown Library. The Pride Piano Bar (3–5 pm) at the Salvador Dali Café features hosts Craig Fair, Brandon Howard Roy, and Lindsay Connolly.

Many events are free or by donation, while some require tickets, pre-registration, or waivers. For admission details, the full schedule, accessibility considerations, registration links, and resources, visit pridepei.ca/polar-pride-fest25.