CHARLOTTE, N.C. — In a joint statement, on April 28, Charlotte Pride and Charlotte Black Pride announced cancellation of in-person 2020 festival, parade and community events.
“The most responsible decision in the face of the continued uncertainty over the pandemic’s trajectory is to cancel large-scale, public mass gatherings like our annual festival and parade,” said Daniel Valdez, president of the Charlotte Pride Board of Directors in the statement.
The 2021 Charlotte Pride Festival & Parade is scheduled for Aug. 21-22, 2021 and Charlotte Black Pride Week is scheduled for July 11-18, 2021.
This summer, both Charlotte Pride and Charlotte Black Pride will program webinars, livestreams and virtual showcases of local LGBTQ artists, entertainers, activists, community non-profits and business owners. In the fall, Charlotte Pride will present its rescheduled Reel Out Charlotte, The Queen City’s Annual LGBTQ Film Festival, from Oct. 24-Nov. 1 at Camp North End.
In 2019, the Charlotte Pride Festival & Parade attracted more than 200,000 visitors during its weekend celebration, including 23,000 out-of-town visitors generating more than 10,000 hotel rooms, a total economic impact of $8.05 million, direct visitor spending of $4.79 million and $284,000 in Mecklenburg County tax revenue, according to the press statement.
“Charlotte’s annual Pride events are the highlight of the local LGBTQ community each year,” said Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles in the statement. “The absence of this year’s Pride events is not only a loss for our local LGBTQ community, but also a loss for our entire city and its social and economic well-being. This was a tough decision by organizers, but a responsible one. I appreciate and applaud Charlotte Pride and Charlotte Black Pride for their concern for our city, and I look forward to celebrating with our local LGBTQ community again in 2021.”
Details about virtual and other upcoming programs are available online at charlottepride.org/virtual and facebook.com/CLTBlackPride.