Pride Winnipeg and Fierté Canada Pride (FCP) announce the decision to further postpone the 2020 edition of the Fierté Canada/Canada Pride Festival. This national event meant to bring together Canada’s GSRD communities will now take place in 2022 amidst growing concerns around COVID-19 and the impact it is having on large public gatherings and festivals. Pride Winnipeg made a previous statement in March announcing the festival would be postponed to September 2020.
Fierté Canada Pride, the national association of Pride organizations and the licensor of the “Canada Pride” title, has granted Pride Winnipeg with the title to host the much-anticipated event in 2022 understanding that with federal and provincial restrictions and public concerns around large gatherings would not allow the organizers to host the festival they had spent years planning for. The extension will give Pride Winnipeg an opportunity to further refine the festival and make the 2022 edition all that it can be and more.
The decision to postpone the Fierté Canada/Canada Pride Festival comes after much consideration and consultation with community partners, stakeholders, FCP, and other international partners. Key in the decision-making was the consideration for public safety and well-being. The health and safety for our local GSRD communities in Manitoba and the public expected to travel from around the world would have been too great a risk.
“We believe moving Canada Pride to summer 2022 is the best decision for everyone. We know that many people are facing economic challenges and our country is focused on ending the pandemic so there are many barriers that we hope to avoid with this decision,” says Barry Karlenzig, President of Pride Winnipeg.
Dana Marsh, President of Fierté Canada Pride says: “Pride is not just a celebration, but an homage to our roots. It’s symbolic of our communities’ resilience in times of hardship and now is no different. While we all do our part to stay safe by staying home, we will continue to persist and support our communities. COVID-19 disproportionately impacts members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ communities and it’s important for us to focus on doing all we can to support them. Working together, FCP and Pride Winnipeg look forward to celebrating with everyone at Canada Pride in summer 2022. Pride celebrations will still happen, just differently this year and we’ll be as loud and proud as ever. We encourage you to find ways to connect with your communities and celebrate in new ways.”
To ensure that Pride can still be celebrated in 2020, Pride Winnipeg is excited to reveal their plans for a Virtual Pride for September 4th to 13th with more details to follow. Pride Winnipeg will also continue to plan for its 2021 festival as scheduled.
Pride Winnipeg will continue to be in touch with its partners and community groups regarding plans for Canada Pride 2022 and the new Virtual Pride for 2020. Information for community partners, organizations, sponsors, and the public will be available on our website: https://pridewinnipeg.com/
Thank you for your understanding and support as we move forward, together.