ABOVE: Polk Pride 2019, photo by Dylan Todd.
LAKELAND, Fla. | Polk Pride and its official events have been rescheduled to Sept. 26-Oct. 4 in response to COVID-19.
The sixth annual celebration was originally scheduled for June 13-20. Organizers opted to move the gathering as Polk County and other communities continue to deal with the coronavirus.
“We have been partnering with Equality Florida, Florida LGBTQIA leadership and other regional Pride organizers to ensure we make the best decisions for our community,” Polk Pride’s board of directors shared April 22. “Earlier this year, the Polk Pride team began creating contingency plans to move our events and started the process to secure all of our venues and entertainers if the need should arise.”
Organizers subsequently unveiled the new dates and emphasized this year’s theme. “All of us here at Polk Pride look forward to the biggest and best annual pride celebration that our community has ever seen,” they shared. “These 2020 events will be the sixth year for Polk Pride and our theme of ‘Stronger Together’ will be more important than ever.
“Love, Live, Shine, Be and Rise … Stronger Together!!!” they concluded, a nod to previous themes. View their full announcement below:
The news also followed the Polk Pride System’s cancellation of the 2020 Polk Pride pageant, which would have crowned Ms. Polk Pride 2020, Ms. Polk Pride Newcomer 2020 and Mr. Polk Pride 2020 this year.
“The Polk Pride System unfortunately has to cancel the 2020 Polk Pride Pageant due to the COVID-19 venue closures in an effort to keep our community safe as we continue to practice social distancing,” the system shared April 20. “We have notified all interested parties prior to this announcement. If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to us via the Polk Pride System Page. We want to thank everyone for their continued support.”
For more information about Polk Pride or the Polk Pride System, visit PolkPrideFL.com and Facebook.com/PolkPrideSystem.
For the latest updates about COVID-19 and its impact on the LGBTQ communities in Tampa Bay and Central Florida, view Watermark’s frequently updated coverage here.
