CATALYST PLANET - Pride 2021: Celebrate In Person and Virtually at These 10 Events

While cities around the world are varying in their approaches to the annual event—with some hosting in-person gatherings in June, others virtual experiences and a few postponing to later in the year—Pride in 2021 is expected to be one of the most memorable LGBTQ+ celebrations in years.

*Celebrators hold a giant Pride flag in Rennes, France. missbutterflies. CC BY-SA 2.0.*

With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic last year, virtually all LGBTQ+ Pride events were forced to pause or go digital throughout the month of June. A number of events centered around celebration, community and visibility took place virtually to fill in the gap left by the pandemic, including ones in Dublin, Costa Rica and New York City.

However, as vaccines have become more readily available in some parts of the world, LGBTQ+ organizers have come together to create both in-person and digital events to make Pride an accessible reality in 2021. Some are hosting in-person events later in the year, others digital programming throughout the month of June, and a few are offering a mix of the two. Here is our guide to 10 in-person and digital events to celebrate Pride in 2021.

1. Pride 2021

*A couple shares that they were recently married at the 2013 New York City Pride parade. Dave Bledsoe. CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.*

New York City is regarded as the birthplace of the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement in the United States. While last year the city had its Pride festivities go completely virtual, this year New Yorkers will have a mix of in-person and virtual events to celebrate. Centered around the theme “The Fight Continues,” the city’s Pride events will focus on community, politics, celebrations, arts and culture.

The famed PrideFest will be both in-person as well as virtual, with an online portal called “MarketFest,” allowing folks at home the opportunity to connect with and support a wide variety of small brands owned by members of the LGBTQ+ community. Likewise, the New York City Pride March will take place in person, and will also be broadcast on ABC7 and livestreamed on YouTube and Facebook.

NYC Pride 2021 will take place throughout the month of June.

2. Copenhagen WorldPride 2021

*People walking and cycling through a street at a 2018 Pride event in Copenhagen, Denmark. Klaus Berdiin Jensen. CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.*

Copenhagen, Denmark’s annual Pride event this year will be in collaboration with the organization InterPride, as the city was selected to host WorldPride. The organization works with cities every two years to host an LGBTQ+ event to promote visibility and awareness of issues facing the community around the world.

The event this year will take place over the course of two weekends, with celebrations set to take place in Copenhagen and in neighboring Malmo, Sweden. While the WorldPride Parade will not take place due to COVID-19 restrictions, the event will include a number of protest walks in both cities, a “village” where attendees can meet with one another to learn about LGBTQ+ activism and issues, and a human rights forum.

Copenhagen WorldPride will take place from Aug. 12 to Aug. 22, 2021.

3. Taiwan LGBT Pride 2021

*Demonstrators at a 2016 rally for gay marriage in Taipei, Taiwan. Phil Wong. CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.*

Taiwan’s annual Pride events have taken on a new role in Asia in recent years, as in 2019 it became the first place in the region to legalize gay marriage. This year, Taiwan’s LGBT Pride will be held in person over the span of four days. While details have not been fully announced, in the past the event has featured three separate parade routes which all converge at a “Gay Village” for a mass party. Likewise, given that Taiwan is generally considered to be the most LGBTQ+ friendly spot in the region, the event has drawn up to 80,000 participants from all around the world, making Taiwan’s LGBT Pride a truly international event.

Taiwan LGBT Pride will take place at the end of October in Taipei.

4. LA Pride 2021

*Bikers riding down a road in West Hollywood, California. Jon Viscott. CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.*

This year, Los Angeles’ iconic annual Pride celebration will go 100% virtual. Centered around the theme “Thrive with Pride,” LA Pride 2021 will take on a ton of accessibility and acknowledgement of the losses and hardships brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“To thrive means to flourish and progress despite the circumstances. Pride this year is a moment for you to stop and breathe,” said Sharon-Franklin Brown, the president of the Christopher Street West Association board of directors.

LA Pride 2021 will take place throughout the month of June, and will feature virtual events including a free concert by Charli XCX on June 10, a prime-time special on ABC7 and a variety of volunteer and service events under the theme “Pride Makes a Difference.”

5. Pride Toronto

*Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at the 2015 Toronto Pride Parade. Alex Guibord. CC BY-ND 2.0.*

Celebrating its 40th annual Pride event, Pride Toronto will go digital this year with its inaugural Phygital Pride Festival. In commemoration of the “Operation Soap” bathhouse raids of 1981, which kick-started the movement for LGBTQ+ equality in the city, Toronto will host its annual Pride flag raising ceremony and declare June to be recognized as Pride month, before leading into the month’s planned virtual events.

Phygital Pride Festival will feature a wide variety of community-centered programming, including a virtual Pride parade on June 27 and an ongoing virtual street fair, as well as a number of smaller, in-person initiatives which comply with COVID-19 safety guidelines. These include art installations, collaborations with small venues, businesses and organizations, and pop-ups throughout neighborhoods in Toronto.

Phygital Pride Festival will take place throughout the month of June.

6. Dublin Pride 2021

*Celebrators at a 2016 Pride event in Dublin. chripell. CC BY-SA 2.0.*

As was the case last year, Dublin will see all of its Pride festivities go virtual. Pride in Dublin is a bit longer this year, as the city kicked off the celebration with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on May 17, the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia.

Each week will feature a new set of virtual educational and community events centered around a shared theme. Machnamh Brod (June 1-6) is a term referring to an old Irish concept for meditation, reflection, contemplation and thought, and that week’s events will discuss intersecting issues on race, gender, sexuality and ability. Culture, Arts and Heritage Week (June 7-13) will focus on LGBTQ+ contributions to the humanities. Health and Well-Being Week (June 14-20) will discuss physical and mental well-being for the LGBTQ+ community in the context of crisis. Community Week (June 21-28) will showcase a variety of LGBTQ+ organizations and support services, and culminate around a virtual Pride parade.

7. Pride in the Park Chicago

*Marchers at the 1985 Chicago Pride Parade. Alan Light. CC BY 2.0.*

While the annual Chicago Pride Parade and Festival has been pushed back to October due to the COVID-19 pandemic, in June the city will host Pride in the Park. The concert series, which will be ticketed and requires proof of vaccination to attend, will feature performances from LGBTQ+ artists and allies, including Chaka Khan, Alyssa Edwards, Tony Moran, Naysha Lopez, Kara Mel D’Ville and Matt Suave.

Pride in the Park will take place in Chicago’s Grant Park on June 26 and 27.

8. Johannesburg Pride Parade and Festival

*People attending a concert at the 2011 Johannesburg Pride festival. South African Tourism. CC BY 2.0.*

Johannesburg Pride has a long-standing tradition in the South African city, with over 30 years of advocacy events taking place in support of the LGBTQ+ community. With the aim of being not only a space for South Africa but for folks from all over the continent, the event in recent years has become a symbol of LGBTQ+ resistance for all of Africa. This year, Johannesburg Pride will feature a march promoting self-acceptance, legal rights and the celebration of identity, as well as a Pride village.

The Johannesburg Pride Parade and Festival will take place on Oct. 31.

9. Reykjavik Pride 2021

*Celebrators on a stage at a Pride concert in Reykjavik, Iceland. Helgi Halldórsson. CC BY-SA 2.0.*

Created in 1999, Reykjavik Pride is one of the newest LGBTQ+ celebrations on this list. However, in the 22 years since its founding, Iceland’s primary Pride celebration has grown from 1,500 participants in the inaugural event to upwards of 100,000 celebrators coming from around the world today.

While official programming has not yet been announced, the theme “Queers of All Ages” will guide the various festivities, including entertainment, educational and cultural events. This year’s Pride celebration is also noteworthy, as it is one of the first major public events in Iceland since the pandemic began in March 2020.

Reykjavik Pride will take place from Aug. 3 to Aug. 8.

10. San Francisco Pride

*San Francisco City Hall lit up with the colors of the rainbow in 2013. Joe Parks. CC BY-NC 2.0.*

For many, San Francisco is considered to be one of the most openly LGBTQ+ cities in the world. In the past, the city’s Pride festivities have been some of the most highly regarded. While San Francisco will not be having its parade and festival this year due to the ongoing pandemic, the city has two smaller events planned in lieu of the annual celebration.

San Francisco Pride will host a two-night movie event in Oracle Park, the baseball field home to the San Francisco Giants, on June 11 and 12. The first night will feature the movie “In the Heights,” and the second film is “Everybody’s Talking About Jamie.” For Juneteenth, an annual holiday on June 19 which celebrates the emancipation of those who had been enslaved in the United States, San Francisco Pride will collaborate with the African American Art & Culture Complex to commemorate the date and highlight the connections between the ongoing fight for LGBTQ+ rights and the continued struggle for racial justice.