Charlotte Pride Festival, Parade Canceled Due To Coronavirus

CHARLOTTE, NC — Organizers of Charlotte Pride and Charlotte Black Pride have announced the cancellation of all in-person events for the 2020 festival, including the annual parade due to coronavirus.

In lieu of in-person events, the festival will turn to digital and online programming, including webinars, livestreams and special showcases of local LGBTQ artists, entertainers and activists, organizers said.

The announcement includes:

• Charlotte Black Pride’s full week of activities originally scheduled for July 12-19, 2020, including its annual Charlotte Black Pride Expo on Saturday, July 18, 2020
• the annual Charlotte Pride Festival and Parade originally scheduled for Aug. 1-2, 2020, including its full slate of other community activities July 24-Aug. 2, 2020

“Our very first priority is the safety and health of our community and our events’ attendees, volunteers, sponsors, and other partners,” Daniel Valdez, president of the Charlotte Pride Board of Directors, said in a statement. “We must do everything we can to prevent knowingly exposing our already vulnerable community to the uncertainties and risks of COVID-19. 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."

This fall, Charlotte Pride will host the annual Reel Out Charlotte LGBTQ film festival, which is set to run from Oct. 24 through Nov. 1 at Camp North End.

In 2021, the Charlotte Pride Festival & Parade will be held Aug. 21-22, and the Charlotte Black Pride Week is set for July 11 -18.

Organizers say more details about virtual and other upcoming programs from Charlotte Pride may be found here and Charlotte Black Pride may be found here.