Kelowna Pride has announced its annual week of celebration will be postponed until September 2020.

As we’ve continued to monitor developments around the COVID-19 pandemic, including all the relevant directives issued by the government and the appropriate health authorities, it has become clear to us that an in-person Pride celebration this June is not feasible,” reads a post from Kelowna Pride on Instagram.

“As such, we have taken the decision to postpone Kelowna Pride Week 2020 to September.”

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Kelowna Pride is ensuring the community that pride will be celebrated this year, but will be done is a fashion that is safe and that keeps within required health protocols.

“Our September Pride festivities will likely be very different from what we have done in years past, but Pride will still be an inclusive celebration,” said Kelowna Pride.

“We’re actively working with the @CityofKelowna and our other partners on a number of innovative ideas, and we will keep you posted as September gets closer and the picture is clearer.”

For now, please save the week of September 19 – 27 in your calendars for Kelowna Pride Week 2020, proudly presented by @TD_Canada.

Kelowna Pride will be communicating with its vendors and sponsors in the coming weeks.

View this post on Instagram

To our community, . As we've continued to monitor developments around the COVID-19 pandemic, including all the relevant directives issued by the government and the appropriate health authorities, it has become clear to us that an in-person Pride celebration this June is not feasible. As such, we have taken the decision to postpone Kelowna Pride Week 2020 to September. . We want to assure you that we will celebrate Pride one way or another in Kelowna this year, but we will only do so in a way that is safe and in keeping with the required health protocols. This is our responsibility, and we are taking it seriously. . Our September Pride festivities will likely be very different from what we have done in years past, but Pride will still be an inclusive celebration. We're actively working with the @CityofKelowna and our other partners on a number of innovative ideas, and we will keep you posted as September gets closer and the picture is clearer. . For now, please save the week of September 19 – 27 in your calendars for Kelowna Pride Week 2020, proudly presented by @TD_Canada. . To our vendors, sponsors and advertisers, we will be sending out a separate communication detailing what this announcement means for you, and how you can continue to help if you're in a position to do so. Please keep an eye on your email inbox. . We want to thank you all for your patience and understanding as we navigate this evolving situation. We don't have all the answers just yet, but we can tell you that there will be a Pride celebration and that the health of our community, friends, family, volunteers, team and the public at large remains our most important consideration. . We'd also like to thank our amazing essential workers for their tireless efforts during this pandemic. We need to stay home to keep them safe and to protect the most vulnerable in our society. We look forward to celebrating with you all later this year and wish you good health – both mental and physical – in the meantime. . Remember – you can chat with others in Kelowna's LGBTQ2+ community by joining the Kelowna Pride Society Hangout Group on Facebook. We hope to see you there! . The Kelowna Pride Society 🌈

A post shared by Kelowna Pride (@kelownapride) on Apr 24, 2020 at 3:32pm PDT

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