Utah Pride Week events are scheduled for June

SALT LAKE CITY – The Utah Pride Center is planning a week of events “like no other” this June.

Instead of the usual Pride Festival and Parade, postponed in 2020 and ultimately replaced by a “street rally”, the 2021 version will be replaced by what organizers refer to as the “Pride Week Celebration”.

Events run June 1-7 and include a rally and march, interfaith worship service, fireworks display, and an outdoor interactive story garden exhibit.

The week is scheduled with COVID-19 restrictions. Part of that means there won’t be any vendors, food trucks, or live entertainment, the Pride Center wrote in a press release on Monday.

They provided the following descriptions of some events:

• Pride Story Garden – Our story, our stories, our communities. This event includes an outdoor interactive exhibit in Washington Square that will be shown over a five-day period with date / time-specific tickets.
• Pride in the Sky – Loud and proud fireworks for all of our communities
• Rainbow March & Rally – Raise our voices starting at the Capitol and traveling down State Street and Harvey Milk Boulevard
• Pride Month Proclamations and Flag Raises – Community leaders and lawmakers come together to recognize June 1st as Pride Month
• Interfaith Service – A multi-faith collaboration that brings faith communities together to connect with and celebrate the LGBTQ + community.

“This incredible event is likely to never happen again, in this form and on this scale,” said the centre’s executive director, Rob Moolman. “It will be unique, fun, educational, and an opportunity to get out of our homes, be together again, and do so safely.”

The organizers are accepting applications from LGBTQ + restaurants and bars as part of the Story Garden, as well as from “LGBTQ + and BIPOC artists and makers”.

They also invite people to submit honors and memorials for those who make a difference in the LGBTQ + community.

The event will also serve as a fundraiser to support the Utah Pride Center’s year-round programs and services.

READ: The Utah Pride Center lost massive funds in 2020, but the need for services increased

More information about the weeklong celebration is expected to be posted on utahpridecenter.org and the center’s social media pages.