On May 29 and 30, Midnight Events KW transformed the indoor and outdoor spaces at 44 Gaukel St. into a vibrant, creative hub, hosting Pridefire Fest, a two-day queer-focused artist market in the heart of downtown Kitchener.
Midnight Events KW is a Kitchener-Waterloo-based grassroots organization that has been around for a while under different names, Witch + Wellness as well as Midnight Earth Events.
In 2025, the two merged to form Midnight Events, combining their queer and witchy markets into one large cohesive force, and has become well-known across the region for coordinating inclusive, alternative festivals and themed markets.
The festival turned the local venue into a showcase for area artists, readers, interactive tarot installations, and live music, drawing crowds from across the municipality. The event opened with a quiet, relaxed atmosphere before gaining energy in the evening as attendees interacted with the performers.
Jes Davidson, event co-organizer and owner of Forest Hag Art, described the behind-the-scenes momentum as chaotic, but fun and energetic.
For co-organizer Habby Midnight, owner of Midnight Raven Studios and Midnight Events, the festival represents an intersection of two marginalized groups.
“It is a celebration of two very specific, overlapping groups of marginalized people,” Midnight said. According to Midnight, alternative spiritual spaces and witchcraft frequently attract queer individuals because they offer a unique landscape for self-expression outside traditional constraints.
“The spiritual space and witchcraft itself are often a spirituality in which a lot of queer folks are attracted to because it exists outside of the binary of monotheistic religions,” Midnight said.
“I think the importance of that is really naming ourselves, being out and proud and loud,” Midnight said. “I think there’s a long history of being sort of hidden and obviously criminalized. And I think it’s important to continue to sort of stand for that, bring it out into the open, be loud, wear our colours, and continue to fight for it.”
Midnight said that Pridefire Fest drew its name from the central motif of fire, which played both a practical and deeply symbolic role across the weekend as a historical focal point for human ritual and collective unity. Davidson agreed that the physical fire element served as a powerful centrepiece separating the festival from standard community events.
“Maybe I’m just a cottage person or a camp person, but I think nothing brings people together like a campfire, especially a community fire, especially in downtown Kitchener with a place like Gaukel,” Davidson said. “What a great place to do that.”
This theme was translated into a physical community art project where attendees left their mark by placing rainbow fingerprints on a painted fire emanating from a central cauldron.
Beyond the vendors and art projects, the festival featured educational components designed to connect modern attendees with foundational queer history.
One of the market’s central features was an interactive passport ritual designed by Davidson. The passport guided participants through various historical and ritual stations spread across the venue.
“My favourite part is always the community space, just because I’m very proud of my people and I’m very proud of the vendors,” Davidson shared. “Secondary, the ritual is obviously my baby, and I love that people are going around getting paint on their fingers, getting dirty, getting into it, showing their colours.”
Ultimately, the organizers said the most rewarding outcome of building Midnight Events KW has been the development of a tight-knit network of found family among the vendors that extend far beyond the weekend markets.
“People have created their own friend groups, close personal friendships and found family throughout these spaces, which has been a really beautiful experience,” Midnight said.
The grassroots connection addresses a specific regional demand, combining a uniquely large local spiritual population with the search for dedicated queer spaces.
“Everyone was searching for a queer space, a witchy space, and we really just wanted to combine the two and make a really cool ultimate space,” Midnight said.
For Davidson, anchoring this environment in downtown Kitchener is vital for keeping community members engaged with their immediate surroundings.
“Local history is really important in every city you’re in. I think people lose connection, especially in big city spaces like this,” Davidson said. “I think it’s really important to come together and re-root yourself…what change do you want to see on the ground in the city you’re living in?”
Looking ahead, Midnight Events KW plans to maintain a schedule of three to five queer, punk, and witchy events throughout the year, with their next major market, Spells and Stardust, scheduled to return to the downtown core on Oct. 24 and 25.
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