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In-Person Pride Events Limited Till August

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After canceling 2020’s LGBTQ Pride celebrations due to the pandemic, Albuquerque Pride is pushing forward this month with mostly online events. The nonprofit has plans for an in-person celebration later this summer.

Credit Courtesy Albuquerque Pride

Albuquerque Pride is calling its June event series the “Coming Out of Pandemic Edition.” 

“We had a lot of outcry from last year that people just wanted something,” said Neil Macernie, Vice President of Public Relations for the organization. He said that “something” includes virtual events every weekend this month, including Sunday educational discussions and Friday night DJ sets for at-home dance parties. 

Credit Courtesy Albuquerque Pride

Macernie said the group recently modified its Saturday variety shows to include an in-person component, though capacity is limited. “We’re selling out very quickly, so we’re kind of putting out the link last minute,” he said. “So, as soon as we get it up, they’ll be able to see it on our Facebook page or our website.” 

Macernie said a June Pride parade is off the table because the city still isn’t issuing event permits for the streets.  

Credit Joby Elliott via Flickr / CC BY 2.0; creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/
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CC BY 2.0; creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

He said they will hold a slightly scaled-down “In-Person Edition” of Pride with entertainment and vendors at the state-run Expo New Mexico on August 20 and 21. Whether a colorful Nob Hill parade is a part of that will depend on the city’s shutdown status. “We’re hopeful,” said Macernie. “We’re constantly checking with the city going, ‘OK, where are we at? Can we go ahead and start planning for this?’” 

Those looking for a parade during Pride Month aren’t totally out of luck, though. Unaffiliated with Albuquerque Pride, a“Vaccinate Against Hate”COVID-safe Pride car parade is scheduled to roll down Central Ave. this Saturday, June 12, beginning at 10:00 a.m.  

Nash Jones (they/them) is a general assignment reporter in the KUNM newsroom and the local host of NPR's All Things Considered (weekdays on KUNM, 5-7 p.m. MT). You can reach them at nashjones@kunm.org or on Twitter @nashjonesradio.
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