The organisers of Norwich Pride have announced the annual event's march through the city centre will not go ahead this year due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
This year's event is scheduled to take place on Saturday, July 31, but in light of ongoing safety concerns over the risk posed by a coronavirus, the organisers have announced the event's march will not form part of this year's celebrations.
Instead, Norwich Pride will focus on a virtual celebration, The Pride Show and smaller events based at individual venues.
The decision means 2021 will be the second year the parade has not taken place due to coronavirus.
In a statement issued on Norwich Pride's website, the organising committee said it had been exploring how it could hold the annual event in a way that kept everyone safe.
The committee said: "The usual focal point of our Pride event is a march through the city. Uniting celebration and protest, thousands of LGBT+ people gather to march, dance, sing, and feel the joy that comes from being part of a supportive, inclusive community.
"This will always be important to Norwich Pride, but we are sorry to say that we feel unable to make it happen safely at the end of July 2021."
It said the lifting of restrictions on June 21 depended on many factors, including the roll-out of the vaccination programme and infection rates.
The committee added: "Some music festivals and ticketed Pride events are announcing that they plan to go ahead, but these are not open to everyone.
"The safety of our attendees is absolutely critical, but we do not believe a ticketed march or event would be in the spirit of Norwich Pride, and therefore feel the best decision is to postpone our July march.
"We remain hopeful that we may be able to announce an alternative date for the march later in 2021."
Following the announcement, Norwich Pride is appealing for ideas for events and how to celebrate Pride 2021.
Anyone with any ideas should email: info@norwichpride.org.uk
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