WASHINGTON — The Capital Pride Alliance has announced that the annual Pride Parade and Festival, scheduled for June 13-14, will be postponed due to the ongoing COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.
In addition to the Pride Parade and Festival being postponed, other events such as Capital Trans Pride and Asian Pacific Islander Pride will also be postponed, while partnered events including Youth Pride, Silver Pride, and DC Latinx Pride will be similarly postponed or canceled, according to event officials.
"Like our fellow Pride organizers around the world, the Capital Pride Alliance has been monitoring the escalating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and has determined that the safest course of action will be to postpone all planned Capital Pride events in May and June,” Ryan Bos, Executive Director of Capital Pride Alliance said. "Throughout, we have worked and will continue to work closely with our federal, state, and local partners as we make decisions to ensure the safety of the entire community."
In a separate announcement, the national LGBTQ advocacy group Center for Black Equity, which organizes D.C.’s annual Black Pride events on Memorial Day weekend, said it has canceled all D.C. Black Pride events for 2020 because of potential safety and economic concerns related to the coronavirus outbreak.
Capital Pride Alliance stated that they will also create a virtual Pride exhibition, for all registered organizations, businesses, and advocates.
The organization also said in its statement that its annual Guide to Pride publication, which in past years has consisted of a publication with a full listing of Pride events and other information along with advertisements that helped fund the Pride events, will be published online only this year and will "offer free ad space to support local small businesses that have been supportive of our LGBTQ+ community and will create a virtual Pride exhibition, for all the registered organizations, businesses, and advocates."
The Capital Pride Alliance, located in the District, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to serving the needs of the LGBTQ+ community and its partners through educational events, entertainment, community outreach, and celebrations of diversity throughout the year.
Capital Pride produces each year several pride weeks and events such as Trans Pride, API Pride and the Pride Celebration in the Nation’s Capital, one of the largest Pride events in the country, which includes the Pride Parade, Festival, and Concert, plus a variety of educational and community events throughout the year.