The Helsinki Pride Parade and the Park Festival will be implemented as a hybrid online and outdoors

Press release, 7/22/2020

 

All the colors of the rainbow will take over Helsinki on September 7-13, 2020

 

The Helsinki Pride Week parade and park festival will be held on an exceptional basis, exceptionally, safely and equally for all of us

 

The promotion of equality and non-discrimination continues every day of the year, and in a surprising and unexpected world situation, we want to ensure that we can continue to walk in a world where pride and respect are strong for ourselves and each other. That is why the Helsinki Pride Community wants to implement the 2020 Pride event in a way that is possible and safe, for each of us.

The Helsinki Pride Parade and the Park Festival will be implemented as a hybrid online and outdoors

 

Helsinki Pride Week includes a diverse program every day of the week. In recent years, organizing a parade and a park party that brings together more than 100,000 participants has proved to be particularly challenging in this situation. Many people participating in Helsinki Pride events and those close to them belong to risk groups, and the situation in September cannot be predicted.

For this reason, the Board of the Helsinki Pride Community decided that the 2020 Pride Parade and the Park Festival on 12 September will be held for the first time as a hybrid event, both online and in urban spaces:

 

“Exceptional times have challenged each of us. We are proud that this year we will be able to organize Helsinki Pride Week to strengthen community, celebrate diversity and remind us of the work we are doing to promote equality and human rights, ”says Juha Kilpiä, Chairperson of the Helsinki Pride Community.

 

Helsinki Pride Parade and Park Festival online, in urban spaces and homes

An online Parade for partner communities and organizations is created at the event pages, and individual people can also take part in it. In addition to the online parade, the city, its streets and parks will be taken over in all the colors of the rainbow on Saturday 12th from 12 noon. Instead of one huge parade, people are encouraged to walk their own routes with rainbow flags and signs waving. Small groups, communities and groups of friends make Pride visible on the streets and online, on social media with the tags #imwithpride and #helsinkipride2020.

Photos and videos from around the city are shared on social media, when people are on their way to Pride picnics that take place in different park areas around the city of Helsinki from 1 pm.  You can spend your own picnic moment in the city park areas or at your own home. Helsinki Pride’s PrideCam travels around the city all day, photographing groups in city spaces, streets and parks.

 

“The City of Helsinki cherishes everyone’s safety, mutual trust and sense of community. During these challenging times, this is needed even more. We are particularly proud of our partnership with Helsinki Pride and Pride Week, which helps us build a safer urban community for all,” says Helsinki’s Mayor Jan Vapaavuori.

 

Saturday culminates in a live streamed Pride Concert

 

After the Parade, A Pride Concert will take place at the Cable Factory’s Merikaapelihalli from 4 pm to 6 pm. Stunning artists and visual fireworks are promised. The concert will be streamed on the Pride site, so you can also watch it from a picnic or from your own home couch. Throughout Saturday, we will broadcast a live stream from the city streets, parks and the Pride concert. Yle will also record the events during the Pride Week and do their own special Pride broadcast on Saturday the 12th. 

 

Helsinki Pride Week September 7-13, 2020

The program of Helsinki Pride Week includes discussions, lectures, peer meetings, performances and celebrations. Helsinki Pride House is at the National Museum, which also hosts part of the week’s program and a Pride Info & Shop. Youth’s own Youth Pride Week is being held for the ninth time and it also includes numerous meetings, picnics, workshops, performances and parties around the city.

Helsinki Pride Week is Finland’s largest human rights and cultural event and it is produced by a few employees, dozens of partner organizations and numerous volunteers.

 

Additional Information:

 

Media:

Aaro Horsma, 045 121 0026 / aaro@pride.fi

Executive Director

 

Program Organizers:

Annu Kemppainen, 050 559 5539 / annu@pride.fi

Events and Community Expert