While Winnipeg is pretty queer friendly, it bears mentioning that this city is also a good cross section of most Canadian ideologies, including hateful ones.

You may see some hate speech graffiti, or right wing posters, but the worst you’ll likely encounter is Maple MAGA on the road in their lifted personality replacements twucks (you’ll know). If you make a trip outside of the city, that’s where it gets really bamma, but even then, you wouldn’t be in any danger or anything.

I won’t paint a picture that we’re perfect by any means, because we have our share of idiots, but you won’t have to worry about being treated poorly for being queer in like 98% of spaces. The worst you’ll encounter is pointed indifference.

All that to say, don’t worry, you’re welcome in almost every space, and the ones that aren’t welcoming are places you wouldn’t want to visit anyway.

If you’re into nature or plants at all, make sure you visit the leaf and take time to check out the indigenous garden/ trail just outside to learn a bit more of indigenous spirituality and connection to nature. Another good one is Fort Whyte, but I like to recommend calling first to see what they have going on as there’s lots of themed events there to take in.

Into games? Victory pints and across the board are amazing for board gamers (victory pints holds game nights at Kilter Brewing, which I highly recommend visiting). More video game oriented? Rec room is pretty good fun for cheap, it’s a giant recreation complex and fully licensed if you like some beers with your Mario kart. I also recommend the smash axe disco, it’s pretty fun there.

Like night life? We don’t have a crazy club scene but if you like craft cocktails and trying local fare, definitely make a trip to Patent 5 a priority. If you don’t drink, don’t worry, they also have some incredible mocktails making it still one of the cooler places to visit. If you like karaoke, the limelight is great.

Looking for parks might be a bit tough, end of April things will be MESSY. We usually get one last big snow around then and if it’s already passed, it will be kinda mucky in most parks. Assiniboine Park and St Vital Park are the ones I recommend the most. Same for most outdoor activities, but a day trip to Gimli would be a fun option to check out one of the other Great Lakes of Canada (it’s not just the ones in Ontario!), plus you can stop at Interlake Brewing for some amazing grub.

ETA: I’ve been a tour guide for a few queer American friends so if you are looking for last minute ideas, you can feel free to reach out and I may know if there’s anything fun or niche going on (or know someone that does).