The Future of Pride Festivals in 2020

Published on April 25, 2020

The Coronavirus pandemic has made it difficult for large groups of people to gather in public. Unfortunately, this has also led to the cancellation and postponement of large-scale events. These include concerts, music festivals, movie premieres, and global Pride events.

While Pride usually takes place during the summer, organizers of Pride festivals and parades from all over the world chose to cancel or postpone their events to help reduce the spread of COVID-19; more than 300 planned Pride events announced their cancellation or postponement so far, with the most recent ones being New York, Chicago and Milwaukee.

However, thanks to a partnership between multiple organizations, Pride will still become a reality in 2020.

Introducing… Global Pride

Two global Pride organizations, Interpride and the European Pride Organizers Association (EPOA), recently announced Global Pride, a collaborative event between themselves and national organizations in the United States, Canada, Germany, Sweden and the United Kingdom.

The event will take place on June 27 and will livestream for 24 hours; the stream also marks 50 years since LGBTQ+ New Yorkers took to the streets to commemorate the first anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising.

According to Steve Taylor, a spokesperson for the EPOA, Global Pride’s livestream will travel through each timezone; it will begin with East Asia, Australia and New Zealand and make its way to the United States.

Additional details about the event have yet to be announced.

Kristine Garina, president of the EPOA, also stated that while COVID-19 may prevent multiple Pride gatherings from taking place this year, Global Pride will still reflect the LGBTQIA+ movement for the very best it can be by “showing solidarity at a time when so many of us are mourning and strength when so many of us are feeling isolated and lonely.”

What Makes Pride So Important

Being an out and proud LGBTQ+ person is one of the best feelings in the world, but for many individuals, they do not have that luxury; some may only have the chance to truly be themselves when they are away at college, or just away from their families in general. Having to move back home means hiding who they really are in order to gain acceptance.

When it comes to Pride, LGBTQ+ people feel at ease because they are able to let loose and be free with their identities, even if it is only for a little while. Everyone comes together to celebrate being themselves in a world that is still learning to be accepting in some parts. In addition, they celebrate achievements made within the community and reflect on what more can be done in the future.

With the announcement of Global Pride, it still gives those in the community the chance to celebrate and connect with one another; it allows those going through tough times to feel accepted, recognized and loved, even if it comes through a screen as opposed to in person.

As Garina put it, even though many Pride events will not be happening, it will not stop any of them from “coming together as a united, strong LGBTQIA+ community to celebrate who we are and what we stand for.”

Lexi Jones is an award-winning journalist and Staff Writer at Grit Daily. Based in Las Vegas, she covers startup brands in entertainment, internet and LGBTQ+ startup news. She is also an editor of Grit Daily's "Top 100" entrepreneur lists.

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