Leeds Pride (the 15th anniversary celebrations) that were due to take place on 2 August 2020 has been cancelled. The event attracts over 50,000 people.
The Manchester Pride has also been cancelled. This is the full statement:
“We are both heartbroken and devastated to deliver the news that we have made the decision to postpone this summer’s Manchester Pride Festival until August 2021.
Whilst we are a charity that campaigns all year round, the Festival is our flagship event. It is one of the biggest celebrations of LGBTQ+ life in the UK and the highlight of the year both for our team, and for many of you.
This decision is not one that has been taken lightly. Our small team has been working tirelessly to ensure we would be prepared for every eventuality, and we have consulted with everyone that we needed to in order to reach this decision. To put it simply, the ongoing situation is incredibly uncertain and it would be too much of a risk to go ahead with plans to deliver the Festival this year.
While some of you may have been expecting this, we know many of you will be just as disappointed and upset by this news as the Manchester Pride team. We have anticipated the many questions you may have and ask that you read through the communication on our website to better understand this decision.
We know that those of you who have bought tickets will be wondering what happens with them. To reassure you and to secure your place at the Festival we’re rolling them all over to the new date in August 2021.
Manchester Pride Festival has a massive impact on many people’s lives including our attendees, community organisations, local artists and Gay Village businesses. We extend our solidarity to everybody affected by this news, and although we cannot deliver the Festival as we know and love this year, we are still planning to celebrate LGBTQ+ life in Greater Manchester. We’re in the very early stages of working on ideas for an alternative celebration in 2020 and we’ll share our plans with you once they can be confirmed.
In the meantime, the Manchester Pride team will continue working towards our vision of living in a world where LGBTQ+ people are free to live and love without prejudice.
The Trustees and Team at Manchester Pride.”
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Manchester Pride have now released further details of their Listening Group for over 55’s. This will happen on 4 November 2020 via Zoom.
The Listening Groups are consultations so that the Manchester Pride team can better represent, support and celebrate the community.
The Listening Groups are as follows:
23 May 2020 – Trans Listening Group
5 June 2020 – Women’s Listening Group
14 July 2020 – Access Listening Group
8 September -2020 – Bi+ Listening Group
24 September 2020 – Black, Asian & Minority Ethnic Listening Group
8 October 2020 – Non Binary Listening Group
4 November 2020 – LGBTQ+ 55+ Listening Group
More info on how to sign up here
You can take part using video and audio, video or audio or simply using the chat function. If you would like to take part but don’t feel comfortable using these methods please contact engagement@manchesterpride.com
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In a previous posting we reported that some of the biggest names in Manchester’s drag scene have collaborated with drag performers from around the world to raise money for Age UK.
The original target was £2,000, but the Quarantine Queens have exceeded that and raised £3,015 (so far). Thank you!!
Out in the City 