St. Pete Pride is one of the biggest, if not the biggest event of the year in the city of St. Petersburg. The weeklong festivities are a celebration of love and acceptance. Visitors from all over Florida and the country visit the ‘Burg and provide a huge boost for local businesses. On May 21, organizers announced the official cancellation of Pride 2020. It was initially supposed to be postponed until the fall.
After careful consideration and thorough exploration of alternatives with the city of St Petersburg, the Board of St Pete Pride has made the difficult decision to cancel all large in-person events originally scheduled for June 22 – 28, 2020.
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Canceling to ensure the safety of all involved
The level of uncertainty and lack of clear guidance from experts prompted the decision to cancel as the Board deemed the health and safety of our community, both near and far, most important.
“While I am saddened by the cancellation of this year’s St Pete Pride, I respect the decision made by the event’s organizers given the inability to plan such events in the face of this unprecedented uncertainty. Our shared focus and most important job is public safety. St Pete Pride certainly recognizes this. St Pete Pride is one of the best and biggest LGBTQ+ events in the nation and will certainly outlast any challenges that come its way. Working with St Pete Pride and other organizations and individuals in our community, we will find ways to celebrate this year’s pride month safely and collectively. I hope that all residents of St. Pete remember that while we may be separated due to COVID-19, we are never alone and that we should continue to embrace and celebrate our LGBTQ residents and allies every day for their efforts in helping the sun to shine so brightly on us here in St. Pete.” – Rick Kriseman, Mayor of St Petersburg
Ready to rally in 2021
The Board of St. Pete Pride has this to say on its website:
The Board of St Pete Pride sincerely thanks all our community and supporters for their understanding and patience as we diligently work with our community partners and incredible sponsors to come up with alternative ways to celebrate pride as a community, while also respecting the current conditions of the world and everyone’s safety. Additionally, we are committed to the continued development of our Community Grants Program that has allowed us to support numerous invaluable non-profit organizations in the Tampa Bay area.
For more information or if there are any questions, please contact updates@stpetepride.com. St Pete Pride is a 501(c)(3) organization who produces and manages the largest LGBTQ+ Pride celebration in the State of Florida. In 2018 more than 250,000 people attended St Pete Pride events over the three-day Pride celebration.
Light up with Pride
St. Pete will do what it can to show its pride come June. The city has just announced that landmarks across the area will light up in bright rainbow colors in support of the wonderful event.
Residents and businesses are encouraged to participate as well by decorating their homes/offices. You can learn more by visiting the event page.
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