Brighton and Hove Pride 2021 cancelled by organisers
The event had been due to celebrate its 30th anniversary
The organisers of Brighton and Hove Pride have said they are 'devastated' to have to call the event off for a second year in a row.
The event, which routinely draws more than 100,000 people to the Sussex seafront, had been due to take place on August 7th and 8th after being cancelled in 2020 due to the pandemic.
With social distancing rules likely to be needed until that date, organisers have said there are 'too many uncertainties' to allow for the effective planning and delivering of the event.
They've added that putting the event on may have risked the health and safety of visitors, residents and the hundreds of staff and volunteers needed.
The cancellation means events like the community parade, the Pride Village Party and the Pride Festival in Preston Park will not go ahead.
Paul Kemp, Director of Brighton Pride, said:
“We are devastated at having to make this decision for a second year and recognise the huge impact on local businesses, charities and community groups who rely on the fundraising potential of the Pride weekend.
“Pride attracts tens of thousands of people to our city for the LGBTQ+ community parade which is the heart of the Pride celebrations, where any social distancing guidance clearly can’t be facilitated safely.
"Our planning has also identified significant supply chain challenges including infrastructure, security and staffing making it impossible to deliver a safe event with any certainty.
“Community fundraising has always been our main objective for Pride, but without the safety net of viable COVID cancellation insurance, we cannot jeopardise our ability to deliver a sustainable fundraising Pride in future years.
“I’d like to thank all of our contractors, suppliers and partner agencies who have tried their upmost to help us move forward with planning, and to everyone who has purchased a ticket for their understanding and support, we can’t wait to bring Pride back in 2022 better than ever.”
Nick Hibberd, Brighton & Hove City Council’s Executive Director for Economy, Environment & Culture, said:
“We’re very sorry that the in-person Pride events need to be cancelled again this year. They are very important community events in our city’s cultural calendar promoting LGBTQ+ equality and inclusion and will be much missed.
“We’ve been in regular discussion with Pride through the city’s multi-agency safety advisory group and, even with restrictions starting to ease, it’s clear managing large events safely remains a huge challenge.
“Keeping everyone safe and Covid rates low remains our priority and, with that in mind, we fully support the decision.
“We will continue working with Pride to support the smaller events arranged this year and help manage a safe city over the traditional Pride weekend at the beginning of August.
“We look forward to working together next year to make sure our city’s full Pride celebrations can return better than ever.”
Those who have a ticket for the 2021 event can do one of the following things: roll over their tickers to 2022, apply for a refund or donate the face value of their ticket to the Brighton Rainbow Fund, which supports local charities and community groups.
More information can be found on the Brighton and Hove Pride website.