Last year’s Atlanta Pride Parade (Photo by Asep Mawardi)
The 2020 Atlanta Pride Festival that celebrates the LGBTQ+ community, will go virtual this October due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
“We regret to announce that we will not be able to hold the 2020 Pride Festival in person, due to the ongoing pandemic,” Executive Director Jamie Fergerson said in a press release. “The health and well-being of our community is always our top priority, especially for the most marginalized in our community including queer and transgender folks who we know are less likely to have access to safe and competent primary care, LGBT elders, those living with HIV, cancer or immunodeficiencies who are at increased risk. This was the main factor in our decision.”
“By moving the Atlanta Pride Festival online, we will ensure that LGBTQ+ people can still experience the joy and togetherness of our 50th Annual Pride Festival and we hope to welcome new people to take part wherever they are.”
The Atlanta Pride Committee is in the process of planning a variety of virtual events throughout the year to keep the community engaged.
“These past few months have been challenging,” said Fergerson. “However, we have been able to engage our community through a number of online events that have shown great promise. We will continue to develop online programs throughout the year, culminating in our first virtual Pride Festival to bring us together to celebrate.”
More detailed information about the virtual festival will be announced soon at atlantapride.org.
