Another Pride fest down: Lexington Pride ‘moves festival to June 2022’

The Lexington Pride Festival, produced by Pride Community Services Organization, fell in line with other organizations and canceled their 2021 event due to the rising numbers of COVID-19.

“It is with a sad heart that I am contacting you ‘this time.’ Despite the community outcry for Pride following more than a year of isolation, loneliness & anxiety for so many LGBTQIA+ folx, the rising numbers in new cases & the inability to guarantee a safe festival for all attendees warrant a delay in our festival date,” said Burley Thomas, office manager for PCSO, in an email to vendors Friday evening. “The Lexington Pride Festival will return in June 2022 & we hope you will join us then.”

He added that vendors can receive a refund, or carry over their payment to June 2022.

Following the email to vendors, Lexington Pride posted a full statement on their Facebook page.

“We know how many folks were looking forward to the festival this fall,” the post said. “We had hoped we could implement protocols that other large festivals have successfully used to keep their events safe in recent months. In moving forward with logistics to implement those protocols, we found they would not be possible in our usual location in the Courthouse Plaza.”

Organizers considered moving to a different location, but have been unable to find an appropriate space that is available so close to the event.

With the rising numbers of new COVID-19 cases & the inability to guarantee a safe environment for all festival attendees, they felt there was no other choice than to cancel.

“This has been a very difficult decision for our team to make and is definitely not the outcome we wanted,” the post said. “We owe huge thanks to the Lex Pride Festival Planning Committee is primarily made up of community volunteers who have invested hundreds of collective hours of unpaid labor to help make Lexington Pride Festival happen in 2021.”

To contact and learn more information, follow them at www.facebook.com/LexPrideFest & www.facebook.com/LexPrideCenter. In addition, their Pride Center on Waller Avenue is available to provide support, services, and connection for the LGBTQIA+ community in Kentucky all year long. Stop by and see them at 389 Waller Avenue, email them at officemanager@pcsoky.org or give us a call at 859-253-3233 to let them know what you need or just to visit.