Boston Pride and City of Boston officials announced today that they are postponing Boston Pride’s 50th anniversary parade and festival until next year due to the COVID-19 outbreak. The new date will be June 12, 2021.
“I know this was a very hard decision to make and I know it’s very hard news to hear, but it’s the right decision. As we fight the coronavirus pandemic, everyone’s safety and health is our top priority,” said Mayor Martin J. Walsh in a press release.
“To our LGBTQ community, we may not be able to celebrate Boston Pride 50th Anniversary this summer, but once we are able, we’ll have the biggest and strongest Pride to date,” Walsh said. “The partnership between Boston Pride and the City of Boston has never been stronger, and I look forward to joining everyone to commemorate the many years of fighting for equality.”
“Our foremost concern is for the health, safety, and wellbeing of the LGBTQ community and allies. We cannot afford to put anyone at risk. There will be time to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Boston Pride and recognize not only the struggles that our community has faced over the years, but also celebrate our strength and resiliency which we all need during this difficult time,” said Linda J. DeMarco, President of Boston Pride. “We appreciate the City of Boston’s support of our community during this difficult time.”
According to the April 7 press release:
Boston Pride is focusing on maintaining communication with its year-round volunteers who plan and execute its events and programming, sharing resources for LGBTQ people, and working alongside community partners who need support during this time. Boston Pride will continue to develop programming to commemorate its 50th anniversary and to connect with the community leading up to Pride events in 2021. Look for events that will include conversations with different leaders throughout the Pride movement, a series of photographs and images, and other virtual events. Programming announcements will be made on the Boston Pride website and social media platforms.
“These are challenging times for all of us and Boston Pride is particularly concerned with the status of our LGBTQ seniors, youth, and other vulnerable members of the community. As an organization dedicated to social justice, we are particularly concerned in protecting the vulnerable members of our community most at risk. This was not an easy decision to make as we understand the ripple effect, including a financial one, which postponing the events will have on our community, our partners and our vendors. We made the decision with the City to postpone out of an abundance of caution to protect the community and the Greater Boston region. We will work towards a safe and healthy Pride in 2021, when we know hundreds of thousands of our supporters, friends, and allies will be able to celebrate the decades of progress we’ve made safely. We truly are a community that cares for each other and we are #WickedProud,” said DeMarco.
“We stand with our Boston Pride partners this year, next year, and always,” said Chris Wayland, president and general manager of Boston Owned Properties & Regional Sports Networks. “NBC10 Boston, Telemundo Boston and NECN will commemorate the anniversary of their 50 years and look forward to once again safely marching side by side.” NBC10 Boston, NECN, and Telemundo Boston, is the exclusive broadcast media partner of Boston Pride.
For registered Parade participants and Festival booth registrants, registrations are valid for the new date. Regarding refunds, please visit the Boston Pride website for information.
Boston Pride has provided COVID-19 resources for the LGBTQ community on its website bostonpride.org.
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