The 2019 Edmonton Pride Festival Has Been Cancelled

There will be no Edmonton Pride Festival this year…
 
The Edmonton Pride Festival has announced that this June’s 10-day festival has been cancelled.
 
Less than two months before Edmonton’s annual Pride Festival was set to take place, the Edmonton Pride Festival Society Board of Directors voted to cancel the event.
 
“In light of the current political and social environment, it has been determined that any attempt to host a festival will not be successful,” reads the email from the board of directors.
 
“Please keep in mind that we are a not-for-profit organization run almost solely by volunteers.”
 
The specifics behind the Edmonton Pride Festival’s cancellation aren’t clear.
 
The festival was set to kick off with a rainbow flag-raising on June 6. A Wine Up To Pride event at Dr. Wilbert Mcintyre Park was scheduled for June 7, and the Pride parade itself was to take place on June 8 on Whyte Avenue. A Pride run and walk was scheduled for June 15.
 
“It has always been the goal of the Edmonton Pride Festival Society to host a safe and enjoyable event that is as reflective and encompassing of the entire community as possible; however, given current events, we do not feel that this is attainable for this year,” the email from the society said.
 
The email goes on to thank everyone who supports the Edmonton Pride Festival Society and reminded readers that there are other Pride events going on in June. “Should you still desire to still sponsor Pride events, we would be happy to help connect you with these groups,” the email continues.
 
The Edmonton Pride Festival faced difficulties last year when its parade was halted by protesters — primarily members of the Black, Latino, and Indigenous LGBTQ community. They made a series of demands of festival organizers, including that all police and military personnel be prevented from marching in future parades. The protesters then said their demands were satisfied after they met with organizers over a blockade on the parade route
 
Edmonton’s Pride Festival started in the 1980s as a march down Whyte Ave and is now among the five biggest Pride festivals held in Canada.