Celebrating 30 years of the pride & remembrance run
On June 27, Pride Month’s only annual athletic event returns to the heart of Toronto’s gay village.
TORONTO, April 20, 2026 – This year’s pride & remembrance run is celebrating 30 years of community, joy, and momentum — and we're just getting started! More than 2,000 runners will be “Running it Forward” on Saturday, June 28 in the heart of Toronto’s gay village.
We've got a new look, a new energy, and a message that captures exactly why this run matters. Whatever brought you here — the joy, the pride, the memory of someone you love, the sense of belonging — this is your invitation to run it forward.
Join us for our 5K or 3K run/walk/roll/sashay and kids’ race during Pride celebrations. Canadians across the country can also participate virtually in the country’s biggest 2SLGBTQ+ focused run.
Mark your calendars! Registration opens April 28 at noon and this hot ticket will likely sell out in a flash.
Our much-anticipated after party in Barbara Hall Park with drag queens, DJs, rainbows, activations, and more always wraps up the run with style.
Our new theme, “Run it Forward,” is a celebration of 30 years of community, courage, and care. Every stride runners take carries our shared history forward and helps build a brighter future for the 2SLGBTQ+ community.
“When we first launched the Run, our aim was to honour lives, help build and strengthen our community, and create a space for health and wellness within Toronto’s Pride celebrations. As founder, it is deeply meaningful to see the event evolve into a cherished community institution while remaining grounded in its spirit of pride and remembrance,” said Alan Belaiche, founder of the pride & remembrance run.
“For the 30th edition of the Run, we expect to cross the $4 million mark in our historical fundraising proceeds. The Run is proud to continue championing the charitable organizations that uplift and inspire the 2SLGBTQ+ community in all its forms,” said Jonathan Iu, president of the Pride and Remembrance Association.
“I cannot be more grateful for the collective efforts of every director, staff, volunteer and over 52,000 participants through the years who brought us to this milestone, making the pride & remembrance run a cultural landmark and a top 2SLBGTQ+ fundraiser in Toronto during Pride Month. We look forward to running that spirit forward for years to come,” added Iu.
The pride & remembrance run theme’s emphasis on intersectionality is highlighted by the diverse projects chosen as the beneficiaries of this year’s participants’ fundraising efforts:
The 519’s Pride Across Generations program to reduce social isolation and build connections within and across generations
Canvas Programs’ “Stronger Schools, Safer Futures: Building Inclusive School Cultures for 2SLGBTQIA+ Youth” program is a holistic, trauma-informed initiative that strengthens 2SLGBTQ+ inclusion, belonging, safety, and community care across schools in the Peel District School Board.
Casey House’s Food as Healthcare, Community as Healing weekday lunch program provides over 300 hot, nutritious meals daily to people living with and at risk of HIV.
The Pride and Remembrance Foundation, the charitable arm of the pride & remembrance run.
In celebration of three decades of the run, the Pride and Remembrance Association is bringing back The Bill Graham Award to recognize service to the 2SLGBTQ+ community through demonstrated volunteerism and/or community leadership. The award will be presented at the after party on race day.
Since launching 30 years ago in 1996, the pride & remembrance run is proud to have raised $3.7 million for dozens of charitable organizations across the Greater Toronto Area and around Canada. We look forward to participants helping us once again surpass this year’s fundraising goal of $350,000.
The run is made possible by registration fees and the generous support of many sponsors, including BMO, which returns as our platinum sponsor this year. Every single cent of our fundraising dollars goes to our beneficiaries. So, get your run group, sports team, co-workers, family members, friends and more involved in your fundraising endeavors! Follow us and our fantastic ambassadors on Instagram for training and fundraising inspiration. Also keep your eyes peeled for our 30 years, 30 stories series on Insta.
Whatever your “it” is — your pride, your joy, your community, your why — Run it Forward with us on June 27!
ABOUT US
The Pride and Remembrance Association is a non-profit, volunteer-run organization dedicated to supporting Toronto’s 2SLGBTQ+ community. The PRA brings the community together in pride, celebration, and solidarity by organizing the annual pride & remembrance run during Toronto’s iconic Pride Weekend every June. Since 1996, more than 50,000 people have participated in the run in the heart of the city’s Church-Wellesley Village. Over the past 29 years, The PRA has raised almost $4 million benefitting more than two dozen 2SLGBTQ+ organizations across Canada.
MEDIA CONTACT
Gail Cohen (she/her)
Director, Media & Communications
Pride and Remembrance Association
gail@priderun.org