Taking place Saturday and Sunday, June 27-28, 2020, the festivities will include live performances, speeches from LGBTQ+ elected officials and thought leaders, highlights of the accomplishments of Pride’s 2020 Community Grand Marshals and Honorees, conversations, reflections on 50 years of the Pride movement, and more, in a weekend-long tribute to LGBTQ+ luminaries and queer solidarity.
San Francisco Pride will also take part in Global Pride — a 24-hour, live-streamed festival uniting hundreds of Pride organizations from around the world — on Saturday, June 27. Led by Interpride, a collection of Pride organizers around the world, Global Pride will be an opportunity for the more than 350 Prides from around the world that have been cancelled or otherwise affected by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, allowing them to share individual messages of support and solidarity.
Pride is always a citywide effort, featuring events from supporting organizations and promoters, and this year is no different. SF Pride is glad to help bring awareness to events which are supporting Pride 50, such as Mayor London Breed’s Pride Kickoff (Friday, June 5), Frameline44 Pride Showcase (Thursday-Sunday, June 25-28), the Trans March 2020 (Friday, June 26), Openhouse’s LGBTQ+ Senior Prom (Friday, June 26), Gary Virginia and Donna Sachet’s Pride Brunch 2020 (Saturday, June 27), and Illuminate the Pink Triangle (Saturday, June 27).
SF Pride is working to determine the streaming platform which will best elevate the voices of the San Francisco Bay Area LGBTQ+ communities and will be sharing those plans with the public soon.
“While this year’s landmark anniversary is very different from what we originally envisioned, we are grateful that we can share Pride 50 with our friends and allies around the world — and we know the world is turning to San Francisco,” said SF Pride Executive Director Fred Lopez. “Our online celebrations not only highlight the spirit of Pride but help us broaden our visibility as we continue to build solidarity in our LGBTQ+ communities during a time when we must be apart.”
“Pride is one of my favorite times of the year in San Francisco, and no one wants to celebrate with the entire community more than I do,” Mayor London N. Breed said. “However, we are in an unprecedented public-health emergency with an uncertain future, and we must do everything we can to protect our entire community and put public health first. The City will continue to work with SF Pride to celebrate everything Pride stands for in the weeks and months to come, and San Francisco will emerge from this pandemic stronger than ever."
“Our staff, board, production team, and partners have worked hard to bring new and creative ways to commemorate LGBTQ+ Pride,” adds San Francisco Pride Board President Carolyn Wysinger. “At a time when there is so much uncertainty, the Pride 50 online events have the potential to touch millions of lives, providing joyful inspiration and highlighting the resilience in our communities.”
“Frameline wishes San Francisco Pride a happy 50th birthday,” said the LGBTQ film festival’s Executive Director James Woolley. “Frameline will be celebrating Pride with a major virtual event, the Frameline44 Pride Showcase. We’ll be hosting four days of brand new feature films, documentaries, and even some of our signature shorts programs — all available for screening at home, June 25–28.”
For decades, San Francisco Pride’s Parade and two-day Celebration have brought hundreds of thousands of LGBTQ+ revelers and allies to Downtown San Francisco. As 2020 is a historic 50th anniversary, upward of a million people were expected to attend. Though the COVID-19 pandemic has brought these festivities online, an even larger global audience can now experience the celebrations from the world leader in the Pride movement from the safety and comfort of their own homes.
