Beyond its importance in terms of LGBTQ+ community visibility, the SF Pride event pumps millions of dollars into the local economy. The massive annual rainbow-festooned, glitter-strewing festival, which is funded by sponsors, donors, and city grants, draws more than 500,000 people to commemorate the anniversary of the 1969 Stonewall Riots, a touchstone of the contemporary gay rights movement, and distributes an average of $2.5 million to local nonprofits and community partners afterwards. (Pride now joins other major local cultural events like Burning Man and the SF International Arts Festival in skipping 2020 for, hopefully, reinvigoration in 2021.)
San Francisco Pride announced today that it is cancelling this year’s June Parade and Celebration-the largest in the Western United States-as COVID continues to take its toll.
