ST. PETERSBURG, Fla — St. Pete Pride organizers say they've been working hard to develop a safe and creative twist on their popular events for 2021.
This year's Pride celebration will stretch through the month of June and include four theme weeks with what is being described as "a signature, albeit scaled down event each weekend."
Community events around the city will also be happening throughout the month.
"The goal being to still give the local LGBTQIA+ community the opportunity to gather, educate and celebrate but also ensure safety and wellness in the face of COVID-19," a Pride spokesperson wrote in an email. "This year most events will be ticketed to enforce capacity regulations."
The celebration "unofficially" kicked off on May 23 with the Miss St. Pete Pride Pageant at Postcard Inn on the Beach.
Pride organizers unveiled this year's plans at a news conference in May.
St. Pete Pride President Nathan Bruemmer encouraged local businesses to hold their own celebrations in addition to the planned events in order to celebrate the LGBTQIA+ community “beyond parades and parties.”
St. Pete Mayor Rick Kriseman spoke on the importance of Pride, adding that the LGBTQIA+ community is "an important part of who St. Petersburg is."
"Celebrating Pride is more than just a parade and it’s more than just the events. It’s what it represents and how it defines us as a community," Mayor Kriseman said.
You can watch the full announcement below.
2021 St. Pete Pride Schedule:
Official Pride Flag Raising: 11 a.m. on June 1 at City Hall
PrideFest Kickoff Reception: 6 p.m. on June 3 at Sirata Resort
Pride Run St Pete 5K and Diva Dash: 7 a.m. on June 5 at Vinoy Park
Pride OUTside: 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. on June 5 at Vinoy Park
We Are Family: 11 a.m. on June 12 at the St. Pete Pier, North Straub Park, South Straub Park
Stonewall VIP Reception: June 18 at The James
Arts + Qulture: 11 a.m. on June 19 at The Factory
Taste of PrideFest: June 24 through June 30 at various restaurants
Pride Picnic & Fireworks: June 29 at North Straub Park, South Straub Park
Click here to learn more about Pride, including event, volunteer and donation information.
St. Pete Pride recently adopted the following new diversity, equity and inclusion statement:
"St. Pete Pride was created out of a desire to ensure a safe space for all people of the LGBTQIA+ community of Tampa Bay to celebrate unity and the many things that make us similar. As we move forward into a bright new future, we do so purposefully and with intention to not just embrace those similarities but welcome, celebrate and promote respect for the many intersections of the human experience. We value and respect diversity in its many forms: race, ethnicity, ability, class, faith, age, gender identity, sexual orientation and experience. We honor the visible and invisible qualities that make each of us who we are. We center Black, Brown and Trans voices that so often go unheard because we know Diversity, Equity and Inclusion are the ultimate acts of PRIDE."
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