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The increasing spread of the Coronavirus / COVID-19 pandemic is likely to have a major impact on LGBTI Pride events across Europe in 2020
Coronavirus/COVID-19
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The increasing spread of the Coronavirus / COVID-19 pandemic is likely to have a major impact on LGBTI Pride events across Europe in 2020. The European Pride Organisers Association is supporting its members by providing resources, sharing guidance, and collating information. EuroPride 2020 itself has been postponed.
EPOA is not a medical authority and doesn’t provide clinical or medical advice. We urge everyone to read and follow the guidance from the World Health Organisation (WHO), the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, and from the national health authority in their own country who will advise on safety at public and major events.
WHO have also published helpful recommendations for those planning mass gathering events, such as Pride.
We recommend that all Pride organisers have contingency plans in place should there be a need to postpone or cancel their event, and also consider the impact that public concern about coronavirus might have on volunteer recruitment, travel and other factors.
COVID19 International Coordination Group
COVID19 is bringing unprecedented challenges for the Pride movement and the international and national Pride networks are working together to ensure a coordinated approach. EPOA and InterPride are leading a COVID19 / Pride International Coordination Group which will meet regularly to discuss the impact of COVID19, how our organisations and members are responding, and what resources and support is needed. The first meeting is scheduled to take place Friday 20 March.
The following organisations have been invited to join the Group: CSD Deutschland, Fierté Canada Pride, UK Pride Organisers Network, and US Association of Prides. All participating organisations will be asked to cascade information and report back to their members and communities.
Please send any enquiries about the Group to cpicg@interpride.org.
Resources
Changes to Pride events
We are maintaining a Google Sheet and Google Map of known changes to LGBTI Pride events around the world. These are embedded below or you can click here to access the sheet and here to access the map. Send information to be included to media@europride.info.
We held a webinar on Monday 9 March together with our colleagues from the international Pride network, InterPride; you can watch the hour-long webinar here and download the slides here.
Facebook group
We have created a private Facebook group for Pride organisers to discuss responses to Coronavirus / COVID-19, and you can apply to join the group here – but please ensure you answer the membership questions, or your request for membership will be denied.
News coverage
Read our news story on the impact on Pride organisations. The following list of coverage is chronological, with the most recent coverage appearing last.
- Amid Coronavirus Concerns, Will LGBTQ Pride Fests Still Happen In 2020? – Billboard
- Romania Pride is first LGBT+ march to postpone over Coronavirus – Openly
- Pride festivals will face ‘inevitable’ cancellation or delay due to coronavirus pandemic – Pink News
- Prides at risk as experts predict COVID-19 will peak in May and June – Gay Star News
- Pride marches, Eurovision: LGBT events threatened by the coronavirus – TÊTU (in French)
- Pride organisations are preparing for cancellations and postponements – BeOut (in Flemish)
- Bucharest Pride slips by three months: it is the 1st LGBT pride march to be postponed for Covid-19 – GayNews (in Italian)
- Pride in the time of Coronavirus: “inevitable cancellations, limitations or postponements” – Gay.It (in Italian)
- More Prides cancel or postpone due to Coronavirus – Gay Star News
- LGBTQ organizations around the world are canceling or shifting dates of Pride events – Queer.pl (in Polish)
- Pride events around the globe cancelled due to Coronavirus – GCN
- COVID-19: Global list of Pride cancellations and postponements – Attitude
- Massive Pride stop after COVID19 – QX.se (in Swedish)
- Prides continue to be postponed or cancelled – DIVA Magazine
- 100 Prides will be affected by Coronavirus in the next few hours – Gay Star News
- Nearly 100 Pride events have been cancelled due to coronavirus pandemic – Gay Times
- Coronavirus: At least 75 Pride marches cancelled worldwide – Têtu (in French)
- Pride festivals are cancelled – BLIKK (in Norwegian)
- LGBT+ Prides Set Up International Body To Support Local Events Amid Coronavirus Pandemic – Forbes
- Over 100 Pride events have been cancelled because of Coronavirus – Dazed
- Coronavirus cancels Pride parties – Chance (in Spanish)
- Unique Impact Of Coronavirus On U.K. LGBT+ Community ‘Will Disproportionally Affect Us’ – Forbes
- 150 Prides cancelled due to pandemic – Star Observer
Resources from our international partners