SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) – Officials on Wednesday revealed plans for San Francisco Pride 2021 this June.
In a press release, the Board of Directors and staff of the San Francisco Pride LGBT Pride Parade and Celebration revealed while there won’t be a standard parade and celebration, there will be limited in-person events with current safety protocols in place.
“The LGBTQ+ communities have been hit hard by the pandemic and so this is an opportunity for them after a year of not being able to maybe conduct business in the same way that they have before to reach communities that are important to their sustainability,” executive director of San Francisco Pride Fred Lopez said.
SF Pride 51’s theme this year is “All in This Together” and there will be three major events – Pride Expo, Pride Movie Night at Oracle Park, and a Black Liberation event surrounding Juneteenth.
To support the city’s LBGTQ+ communities, officials are producing the Pride Expo, which will be a modified version of the annual celebration that usually takes place in Civic Center.
So instead of entertainment on community stages and venues, you can expect an expo more akin to a resource fair, which will feature queer-run businesses, vendors, merchants, and nonprofits to engage with the community.
“Our mission of connecting the LGBTQ+ communities of San Francisco and the Bay Area remains unchanged. Knowing how deeply people miss being together, we’ve worked tirelessly with our partners at City Hall, the Department of Public Health, and elsewhere to ensure a number of incredible, safe experiences. SF Pride this year will be all about locals, from queer-owned small businesses to fellow nonprofits that have displayed true leadership over this past year. It’s truly a Pride for the people.”
Fred Lopez, Executive Director of San Francisco Pride
Pride Movie Night at Oracle Park will feature two evenings of film screenings with Frameline and the San Francisco Giants.
The socially-distanced ticketing event is subject to state-mandated capacity limits.
“I just came from Oracle Park and we were talking a lot about the pre-show before the film and we had a lot of great ideas around filming local drag queens and maybe some contests, some short videos, music videos. I really think there is going to be a great atmosphere of celebration that happens before the film night,” Lopez said.
More information including the film titles to be screened will be announced in April.
Finally, the Black Liberation Event will take place at the African American Art and Culture Complex on June 18.
“We’re definitely going to be pushing out content in June that showcases some of those entertainers and fantastic folks doing work in the community. It just won’t be grouped up all at the end like the way we did last year,” Lopez said.
The event will celebrate the intersection of Black history and LGBTQ+ culture.
“The struggles for racial justice and LGBTQ+ equality are one and the same. Last year, we brought Black Lives Matter back to the forefront of the Pride movement with a Marsha P. Johnson Rally. This year, we’re working to center Black LGBTQ voices and culture even more strongly. I know how badly our communities want to be together after more than a year apart.”
SF Pride Board President Carolyn Wysinger.
SF Pride 2020 was largely held online due to the pandemic.
