The Pride London Festival is set to take over the city in an 11-day event that is boasting its biggest year yet.
The festival, which will take place at over 20 venues within London, kicks off on Thursday and runs until July 30.
Chad Callander, vice president of the Pride London Festival, said anyone attending throughout the festival will be able to experience 35 events including an art show, comedy night at Yuk Yuk's, an open mic night, and the Pride Parade, which has been a staple of the festival for almost 25 years.
"We've got a little bit for everyone -- 90% of our events are family friendly," he says, adding that based on the number of entries, this year's parade will be the largest in the festival's history.
Callander says the festival is a chance for the community to celebrate, but it also serves as a reminder of the work that still needs to be done to improve equality for LGBT communities throughout the world.
"Certainly now we're in a position where it's a celebration and we're very welcomed in the community," said Callander. "But we like to use it as an opportunity to remind people that there's many people across the world who do not have the same rights and abilities that we do in our community... It's getting better every single year, but we still have a lot of work to do."
For anyone who hasn't been to the festival in the past, Callander says they will find "a very welcoming group of people."
"We encourage anyone and everyone to come out, it isn't just for those people who fall under the LGBT spectrum," he said.
Thanks to an Ontario150 grant, the festival is offering bus rides into London from the surrounding counties. The bus schedules can be viewed online here.
For more information and for a full list festival events, click here.