Plans for the 50th anniversary of LGBTQ Pride parade and festibal in Los Angeles have been postponed amid coronavirus fears.
In a tweet sent Thursday evening, the Christopher Street West Association announced the postponement of the event, which is one of the first major events in June to be canceled because of pandemic.
The association is the nonprofit that organizes the LA Pride parade and festival, which brings some 200,000 attendees to Los Angeles every summer.
“Due to the concerns of COVID-19, CSW will postpone all events related to the 50th Anniversary of LA Pride that were scheduled for June 2020. Organizers are assessing the situation,” the statement read.
“More information to be provided around the postponement as details become available.”
The weekend-long celebrations, which were scheduled to run from June 12-14, include parties, outdoor performances, street fairs and a celebrity-filled parade.
The move followed a directive from the City of West Hollywood, which stated that “all Events (City-Sponsored, City Co-Sponsored, City-Funded or requiring a City Permit) will be postponed or canceled.”
Besides being a way for the LGBTQ community in Los Angeles to celebrate their pride, LA Pride Festival and Parade is also a major money-making event for the city.
Last year, the festivities generated “$74.7 million in economic output and $42.2 million in direct expenditures in Los Angeles County,” according to Beacon Economics, an independent research and consulting firm.
“While the Board of Directors and staff of Christopher Street West (CSW) could have never imagined postponing the 50th anniversary of LA Pride in any way, given the unexpected and troubling circumstances the world is facing today, we’ve decided to move our celebration. After all, the health and safety of our incredible and dynamic community is our top priority,” a statement written by the CSW board of directors read.
“Pride is more than just weekend in a year. Or even a month. Pride is something that we live and breathe every day. Whether we celebrate LA Pride in mid-June (as we’ve done for the last 49 years) or, for one year decide to move it to another weekend, our celebration, our voices, our struggles, our triumphs, and our never-ending message for equality never stops,” the statement, which was first shared with LGBTQ news site Los Angeles Blade, added.
“Stay proud, Los Angeles. We’ve already celebrated 50 years of Pride. We’re just starting to gear up to celebrate 50 years more.”
On Friday, another landmark Pride celebration also announced its postponement.
Originally scheduled for April 4-5, the 40th Annual Phoenix Pride Festival and Parade will now be “rescheduled for the fall of 2020, with new dates to be announced.”
“Please join Phoenix Pride as we, once again, come together as a community with resiliency!,” a caption on Phoenix Pride Arizona’s Instagram account read.