Buffalo Pride Week will not be silenced in 2020. Instead of depending on large crowd gatherings, organizers are now looking to create more intimate, “non-crowd-based programming.”
Back in April, Pride Week host Evergreen Health announced that the festivities would be postponed. Now organizers have come up with a plan that will allow people to engage with Pride, while staying safe at the same time.
“… for the safety of the community and their loved ones, 2020 Buffalo Pride Week will not include the Pride Parade or Pride Festival.”
Buffalo Pride Week will be celebrated between August 17 and 23, 2020, a postponed timeframe due to the unprecedented circumstances caused by COVID-19.
“Pride as a concept – as a time to reflect and raise our voices – will always remain,” said Justin Azzarella, vice president of community development, Evergreen Health. “We are actively working with our community partners to create non-crowd-based programming that engages and uplifts LGBTQ+ people in Western New York, while keeping everyone safe. We may be living through difficult times, but just as we have done for so many years, we will move forward, finding strength through love, inclusivity and unity.”
The way it will work on 2020 is that “all affirming organizations, businesses, and individuals” will be invited to share their “safe and lawful” Pride activities on BuffaloPrideWeek.com. That means that individuals and groups will be able to organize their own tight-knit versions of Pride, at home, or at the park, or wherever else that inspires, while abiding by the COVID-19 social distancing rules and regulations that will be in place at the time of the festival. All of these micro Pride activities will add up to one big Prideful event that everyone can partake in, via numerous ways. Some people might opt to tune into the festivities virtually, while others might get a little more creative.
The mission of Buffalo Pride Week is to uplift the LGBTQ+ community by raising awareness and providing access to diverse events that bring people together in the spirit of celebration, advocacy and community engagement.
Remember, it’s the spirit of the celebration that counts. And hopefully everything will be back to “Pride As Usual” in 2021.
2020 Virtual Pride Week is presented by M&T Bank and Evergreen Health.