I feel this personally."Īuckland Pride Festival supported the decision made to cancel the Big Gay Out and said it was constantly reviewing the status of the festival.
I acknowledge the disappointment that will be felt by all those involved as well as all those that were planning to attend. The Ending HIV Big Gay Out takes considerable capacity to deliver, with many people involved in putting on an incredible event each year. "The team is of course extremely disappointed. There was little room to justify proceeding when we placed equity at the heart of this decision. "This event attracts families with small children and a concerted effort had been made this year to ensure Māori and Pasifika communities feel this event is their space too. "It has simply become untenable to reconcile delivery of the event with Aotearoa on the precipice of, what experts predict to be, a very difficult time for New Zealanders and our public health system," Myers said. NZAF chief executive Jason Myers said the decision to cancel the Big Gay Out was not made lightly and core to this was the safety of the communities and organisations it served. Last year's event was already underway when new community cases of Covid-19 were announced, leading to a city-wide lockdown at midnight.Īuckland Mayor Phil Goff defended his decision at the time to allow the event to continue despite the cases. With 15,000 - 20,000 people expected to attend this year's Big Gay Out on 13 February, New Zealand Aids Foundation (NZAF) said equity and safety were placed at the heart of the decision. Festival-goers enjoying music from the main stage at the Big Gay Out.