Auckland Pride are pleased to announce that the Auckland Pride Festival 2021 will extend to the full month of February for the very first time, running February 3-28. An expanded month-long programme is testament to the growth of Aotearoa's largest pride festival, including confirmed dates for the return of key events that have become landmarks of the annual celebration.
"2020's Auckland Pride Festival was our biggest yet, and with February commonly referred to as Pride Month in Tāmaki Makaurau we believe it makes perfect sense to expand our official Festival dates to all of February." says Director of Pride, Max Tweedie.
"This year has been tough for everyone, but especially for our whānau in the arts sector," says Co-Chair Kaan Hiini. "Planning for events continues to be evolving due to the ongoing effects of COVID-19, but we want to give our queer creators every opportunity to showcase their talents as successfully and safely as possible."
"Come February things may be a little different, and we're working to plan for all possibilities that might play out. By expanding the dates of the Festival we aim to provide more opportunity to champion the excellence of our queer communities, giving them a larger platform across the full four weeks of February to fight for progress, build community, and present queer works."
With a commitment to showcasing and uplifting Tāmaki Makaurau's rainbow communities, Auckland Pride will produce a fabulous programme rooted in community. Building on the success of this year's Pride, the 2021 Festival will see the return of festival favourite events, including those produced by Auckland Pride as well as those created by our passionate community.
Auckland Pride is pleased to announce the first key dates for the 2021 Festival are:
Wed 3 Feb: Opening Karakia
Thu 4 Feb: Gala
Fri 12 & Sat 13 Feb: Samesame but Different Writers' Festival
Sun 14 Feb: Ending HIV Big Gay Out
Sat 27 Feb: March and Party
Sun 28 Feb: Closing event
"Auckland Pride's key events will span across February, opening with the dawn karakia acknowledging mana whenua and our takatāpui whānau, to the renowned Gala on the 4th showcasing our incredible queer talents, and the incredible Pride March on the 27th that has cemented itself in Auckland's calendar as a vital event that pushes hard for progress. We're excited to open Festival registrations earlier than ever on September 7th, giving our community time to fill this month with queer excellence," says Tweedie.
To support Tāmaki Makaurau’s rainbow communities to participate in the 2021 Festival, Auckland Pride is thrilled to open registrations on Monday 7 September, earlier than ever. Aiming to connect, uplift, and celebrate during the Festival window, opening registrations early aims to ensure the community has ample time to plan their involvement in next year's festivities. Auckland Pride is working to continually expand the accessibility of the annual Festival, especially in the wake of COVID-19, to ensure an extensive, high-quality, and community driven programme of authentically queer events.
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