CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A handful of LGBTQ pride events in Charlotte will now move from their original August dates to later ones in the fall.
Charlotte Pride announced the change for three of their events on Monday, saying they want to give people more time to get a COVID-19 vaccine. Concerns around COVID-19 surges, especially the delta variant, are a primary part of the rescheduling. However, organizers say a previous structuring of the events into a four-month-long Pride Season allowed them this flexibility.
“Charlotte Pride planned our four-month-long Pride Season precisely in case we needed to scale back or make changes due to the continuing pandemic. The time has now come to make these alterations,” said Daniel Valdez, president of the group's board of directors. “We are hopeful that this postponement will encourage all members of our community and our allies to take the initiative to get fully vaccinated and do their part to protect our community. Higher vaccination rates, lower positivity rates, and decreased community spread are essential for hosting our events at any point in 2021. We’re calling on every member of our community do their part — get vaccinated, wear masks, get tested.”
The following events have been rescheduled:
- Charlotte Pride Drag Pageant
- Original date: Saturday, Aug. 28
- New date: Saturday, Oct. 16, as part of that day's concert and festival
- Charlotte Pride Interfaith Celebration
- Original date: Sunday, Sept. 12
- New date: Sunday, Oct. 17 at 4 p.m.
- Location: St. Luke Missionary Baptist Church in Charlotte
- Charlotte Pride Festival & Concert
- Original dates: Friday, Sept. 17 and Saturday, Sept. 18
- New date: Saturday, Oct. 16 from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m.
- Location: AvidXchange Music Factory Festival Grounds in Charlotte
The Charlotte Pride Parade will still go on as scheduled on Sunday, Oct. 23 along Tryon Street in the Uptown area.
More details are expected to be released soon online and in Charlotte Pride's mobile app.