Toronto is preparing for 10 days of parties and a celebration of art and music, as WorldPride 2014 kicks off at Nathan Phillips Square on Friday night.

The city, in conjunction with Pride Toronto, hosts a Pride parade and a pride week each year, but this year Toronto is host to WorldPride, an international celebration of LGBTQ culture.

Chad Simon, a member of Pride Toronto's board of directors, said WorldPride is one of the organization's biggest undertakings.

"We have more performers than we've ever had, we have more stages offered, and at one point we're going to have 25 city blocks closed for the festival," he told CTV Toronto's Austin Delaney on Friday.

In addition to the concerts, street parties, and parades, WorldPride will also host a human rights conference focusing on the LGBTQ community.

Tourism Toronto was involved in the bid for Toronto to host WorldPride. Andrew Weir, vice president of communications for Tourism Toronto, says the event will bring tourist attention to the rest of the city as well.

"People that are coming this weekend, for the Melissa Etheridge, and the opening events and the concerts, they also get to experience North by Northeast, the Toronto Jazz Festival, the Toronto Waterfront festival," Weir told Delaney.

Theatres, galleries and art spaces across the city are also preparing to take advantage of the 10-day celebration.

Nuit Rose is a free art festival inspired by the Nuit Blanche festival, occurring the night of June 21.

Nuit Rose exhibitions will take place throughout the West Queen West and Church-Wellesley neighbourhoods

"There are at least 12 exhibitions around the city related to LGBT issues," Francisco Alvarez, one of the event's co-founders, told CTV News Channel on Friday.

"We have major events happening at the Gladstone Hotel, the Drake, there's a major exhibition of Salah Bachir's collection at MOCCA," said James Fowler, another co-founder.

Alvarez said the event gives people an introduction to contemporary art, while also supporting the LGBTQ community.

WorldPride 2014 starts Friday, with the Rainbow flag being raised at City Hall at 7 p.m.

With files from CTV Toronto's Austin Delaney