Boston Pride on Wednesday announced a series of virtual events to celebrate Pride 2020 as well as Boston Pride’s 50th Anniversary. The events will honor and celebrate LGBTQ individuals as well as 50 years of Pride in Boston.
The City of Boston announced that all large public gatherings would be canceled during the spring and summer in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Therefore, the Pride Committee decided to get creative with a series of virtual events throughout June.
“Each year, over a million people line the streets of Boston to watch the annual Pride Parade, attend the free concert and Festival, and partake in block parties and numerous other Pride events. The COVID pandemic means that the Pride celebration will come to you this year,” said Linda J. DeMarco, Boston Pride president. “I am incredibly proud of Boston's LGBTQ community for coming together to find creative ways to spread the message of Pride throughout Pride Week. Our virtual events are designed so everyone can participate from the safety of their homes. We know these events cannot replace the excitement of being together in person, but they will help us stay connected, remember our history, and remain strong during these times of physical distancing.”
Boston Pride is encouraging people to show their pride by decorating windows, doors, porches, yards, cars, neighborhoods, and even pets to celebrate Pride weekend on June 12-14.
You can share photos of you, your friends and family wearing your Pride outfits and displaying your Pride decorations by tagging @bostonpride in your Instagram stories and using the hashtag #wickedproud on Facebook and Twitter.
The series of virtual events will kick off with the annual raising of the rainbow pride flag by the City of Boston on June 5. The full list of events can be found on the Boston Pride website www.bostonpride.org.
Some important events that will be happening throughout the month include:
- June 5 -- Raising of the rainbow flag on City Hall Plaza, 12 p.m.
- June 5 -- Author talk with the Boston Public Library featuring Eric Cervini of “The Deviant’s War: The Homosexual vs. the United States of America”
- June 7 -- Forum: The Rich History of LGBTQ Bars in Boston
- June 8 -- Panel: LGBTQ Veterans Tell Their Stories
- June 9 -- Pride Lights: Commemorates those affected by the HIV/AIDS pandemic
- June 13 -- Pride Festival and Concert
The annual Boston Pride Guide will also be going virtual, with a digital version available on the Boston Pride website on June 5.
NBC10 will also air “Celebrating 50 years of Boston Pride," a special half-hour program, on Saturday, June 13 at 7:30 p.m. NECN will re-air the special on Sunday June 14 at 6 p.m., and Telemundo will air segments from the special throughout its newscasts in June. NBC10 Boston, NECN and Telemundo Boston are the official and exclusive broadcast partners of Boston Pride.
Boston Pride’s 50th anniversary will be celebrated in 2020 and the parade and festival have been rescheduled to June 12, 2021.
