Minutes ago, River City Pride made the following announcement.
Notice to our LGBTQIA+ Community:
After much deliberation, and with heavy hearts, The River City Pride Board of Directors has made the difficult decision to CANCEL River City Pride 2020 Festival, Parade, Block Party and Mr. / Miss RCP Pageant. This decision has not been made lightly. Due to the imposing threat of the COVID-19 pandemic, we believe that we cannot move forward with a public event of that size without risking the health and well-being of our community.
We have been monitoring the Florida COVID-19 Dashboard and listening to CDC recommendations. As of yesterday, 06/11/2020, 1,700 new cases and as of noon today 06/12/2020, 1,902 NEW confirmed cases within 24 hours being reported bringing the Florida total of cases to 70,971. Safety and health of all our incredible volunteers, sponsors, vendors, entertainers, special guests, and the community are our top priority. In consideration of the current danger and uncertain future course of the pandemic, we have decided that canceling this year’s gatherings is the safest course of action.
Additionally, as a 501(3)c, financially we rely on sponsorship and fundraising events throughout the year. The lock-down has severely limited our ability to fund raise, adding another challenging element to an already unstable situation. From both a public health and financial perspective, we are simply unable to put on the events that the community loves and supports. To supplement our usual festivities, the River City Pride Board is in the process of planning small events and community outreach activities with social distancing guidelines in mind. Furthermore, we still encourage you to show your pride now and throughout the year. River City Pride belongs to all of us and will be back next year in a big way!
We will continue to update the community as events and activities are put on the calendar. We look forward to seeing you soon and at River City Pride 2021!