Following the announcement that Aotearoa is moving to Red in response to an outbreak of Omicron, Auckland Pride has made the challenging decision to cancel the 2022 Auckland Pride Festival. This decision has not been made lightly, but is consistent with Auckland Pride’s values and unwavering commitment to keeping Tāmaki Makaurau’s rainbow communities safe.

A small number of Festival events, including the first Takatāpui Festival - Te Tīmatanga, in its large-scale public art activation - will still take place either safely in person or online. Auckland Pride is committed to creating pathways for Tāmaki Makaurau’s rainbow communities to mark the 50th anniversary of Pride in Aotearoa regardless, and will provide an update later this week. As indicated on Wednesday, Auckland Pride is working with their venues, artists & community to pivot particular offerings and programming within Te Tīmatanga for digital delivery. 

“We support the imposition of restrictions to protect our communities, healthcare systems, and critical services” says Executive Director Max Tweedie. “The experience of Australia in particular has demonstrated that even without these restrictions, the Auckland Pride Festival proceeding during an Omicron outbreak would’ve been irresponsible.”

“Auckland Pride Festival provides significant opportunities for our communities to come together, improve education and visibility, and increase connection to community - which are key drivers in improved social outcomes. It is incredibly heartbreaking that we are in this position but the safety of our community is our top priority.”

Auckland Pride is working urgently with all of its Festival event organisers to implement their COVID-19 contingency plans. Information on the status of each event can be found on their event listing on the Auckland Pride website, and these will continue to be updated in the next 24 hours.

“Our deepest thanks go to our partners for their ongoing support and understanding as we’ve navigated these challenging circumstances. We will continue to work through the wide-ranging impacts of this decision and provide regular updates with our community. Our priority is supporting our artists, event organisers, and wider community who are disrupted as a result of this outbreak” adds Tweedie.

Questions regarding refunds, postponement, and other ticketing information should be directed towards each event organiser. Auckland Pride will be postponing the Pride Gala, and tickets will be valid for the postponement date to be announced.