The rainbow carpet was rolled out this weekend for a slew of colourful celebrations, all part of Gay Pride 2009.
Thousands of partiers came out to watch the drag queens, cowboys and Trojan warriors dance to their own beat.
The parade caters to young and old, gay and straight - but an open mind was required.
"This is the new Montreal. Everybody's there - all the colours, gay community, straight community, everybody's there...and for me, it makes me very happy," said Jasmin Roy of the Montreal Pride Celebrations.
The parade, themed �FIESTA!, began at 1 p.m., and snaked along Ren�-L�vesque Blvd. through the Village, starting on the corner of de Lorimier Ave., culminating on Saint-Hubert St.
The overall theme for this year's celebrations is Stonewall: 40 Years Later. It's a reminder of the famous1969 showdown between New York City police and gay men at the Stonewall Bar.
A moment of silence was observed at 2 p.m. to remember the victims of HIV/AIDS and homophobia.
Then the party began again, with politicans walking side-by-side by drag queens and roller derby girls.
"It's very clear that for Montreal, openess, to respect human beings, and justice are the prerequisite to live in harmony in a society, so you can say that in Montreal, we are an example," said Mayor Gerald Tremblay.
Attendance for the Gay Pride celebrations was close to 200,000 people, said Montr�al Pride Celebrations President Eric Pineault.
Last year, attendance at the Montr�al Pride Celebrations was estimated at over 159,000 people, according to CROP surveys conducted. The tourism and economic spin-off benefits were as high as $4.2 million.
