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Pride in London’s organisers announced this morning that the Pride parade and associated events have been postponed. It was scheduled to take place on Saturday June 27 and would have been the 48th London Pride parade. The postponement is a response to the current government Covid-19 advice for mass gatherings to keep the public safe.
A statement released by the Pride in London co-chairs this morning read: ‘It’s been a tough decision to postpone the Pride in London Parade and events, but the health and safety of our communities is our top priority. With the climate changing daily, we need to think even further ahead and make timely decisions to protect the health and wellbeing of our communities, volunteers and participants.
We’ve been working closely with the Greater London Authority and have their support in taking this decision. We’re also currently working with key partners including Westminster City Council, the Metropolitan Police Service, TfL and London Fire Brigade to look at the possibility of another date. We’d like to thank our partners and agencies, as well as our volunteers and the public for their patience and ongoing support during this time.’
Pride in London involves so much more than the parade, and sadly this postponement also applies to the surrounding events including Pride Festival, Pride’s Got Talent, Pride in the City, Pride Boxing, the Pride 10K.
Like many other London organisations, Pride’s volunteers and staff are now working from home, taking virtual meetings to manage future plans for the event.
Pride is an essential celebration for the LGBTQ+ community in London, not just for the fringe parties and sense of community, but as a means to raise funds for charity organisations, and struggling LGBTQ+ venues.
The Pride in London chairs acknowledged this challenge in its statement, adding: ‘We fully appreciate the pressures and effects that the current situation is having on all of our communities. Allyship is needed more than ever, so we ask everyone to continue to be kind, loving and generous. Our priority now will be to look closely at how we can support and bring communities together over the coming months.’
The rescheduled date has yet to be announced, but we will continue to keep our readers updated.
Find out more about Pride in London’s decision to postpone, here.
Keep track of cancelled and postponed events in London here.