PHOENIX — The annual Phoenix Pride parade and festival have been moved to the fall, rescheduled to Nov. 6-7, 2021, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Like a few other events have had to do, it marks the third time that the weekend event, which celebrates 40 years in 2021, has been rescheduled. The 2020 event was moved from the spring to the fall, then rescheduled for spring 2021 because of the pandemic.
2021 events in Phoenix: What's canceled, postponed, and still being planned?
In a news release, organizers said the fall event would still be held at Steele Indian School Park in Phoenix. The parade will be held on Saturday and the festival will be held on Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 6-7.
The main headliners -- Neon Trees, Melanie Fiona, Jenn Cuneta, Jody Watley, and Deborah Cox, and others -- have been reconfirmed for the fall festival, organizers said. Alexis Mateo will replace April Carrion and Lineysha Sparx in the RuPaul Drag Race Puerto Rican Invasion Show.
"While we are all looking forward to reuniting as a community, Phoenix Pride always puts the health and safety of our community first, and while the decision was not easy, we know that shifting our dates to November is the right thing to do for the organization and for all who attend the Phoenix Pride Festival and Parade to celebrate with us,” said Phoenix Pride Executive Director Mike Fornelli, in a written statement.
“We are eager to bring our family and friends back together, and with the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccines and improving forecasts for infection rates heading into the fall, we are confident that we will be able to gather in November to celebrate the incredible milestone of our 40th year of serving the Greater Phoenix community.”
Those who already purchased tickets should receive an email from See Tickets, the event's ticket company, in the next couple of days with additional information, organizers said.
“For many in the LGBTQ+ community, Pride represents the one moment in time during the year when they can be fully themselves, and openly – and safely – express their identity and culture. The absence of that moment over the past year has been felt sharply by many in our community, and even as we prepare for an amazing celebration in November, I want to remind everyone among our LGBTQ+ community and our allies that you are not alone, and we are all still connected as a community," said Landen Smith, president of Phoenix Pride's Board of Directors, in a written statement.
"If you need resources, help or just a friendly contact, please reach out to any member of the Phoenix Pride staff or board of directors, and we will do our very best to connect you with whatever you need during this difficult moment," he said.
Details regarding Phoenix Pride's Rainbow Festival, another one of its yearly events, has not been announced. However, in a statement, Phoenix Pride said with all of its focus on the planning of the Phoenix Pride Festival, the Rainbow Festival would most likely return in 2022.
Visit phoenixpride.org for more information.
