Largest Auckland Pride festival confirms full programme

Celebrating with the city’s first multi-genre festival of a new decade, the full 2020 Auckland Pride Festival programme has landed and offers the largest line-up of events in Auckland Pride’s history.

Auckland Pride Festival 2020 by the numbers:

• 154 events have been registered in the 2020 Auckland Pride Festival programme
• Over 75% events are free or koha entry
• Over 40 venues region-wide
• 81 events as part of Auckland Council’s Proud Centres, all free or koha entry
• 44 shows and parties
• 32 talks and workshops
• 18 events as part of the Ending HIV Hauora Series, focused on improving the well-being of diverse rainbow communities.
• 16 events funded by the Pride & Spark Empowerment Initiative

The full programme is now live on the Auckland Pride website – featuring an eclectic array of comedy, theatre and cabaret, dance, art exhibitions, live music, film and digital media, literature and poetry, debates and discussions, drag and burlesque, youth events and workshops, sports contests, pageants, community building events, epic parties, and much more. Alongside the incredible line-up of local talent, queer icons from Australia and the USA are visiting Tāmaki Makaurau to take part in festivities, with truly something for everyone!

"2020's OurPride is not only our biggest programme ever, but our most diverse and accessible," said Festival Producer Luke Wilson. "With over 150 events spreading farther across Tāmaki Makaurau, 2020's programme celebrates the excellence of our queer communities, and provides an opportunity for our whole region to show their pride."

Adding 106 events to the programme since the first wave of the Festival line-up was announced in December 2019, the team at Auckland Pride are delighted to welcome back another landmark event to the programme: the Dawn Ceremony. Officially opening the Festival with an indigenous blessing, Te Takaranga Āniwaniwa will take place on Saturday 1 February in Aotea Square, a central hub of the Auckland Pride Festival 2020.

“We are excited to launch this year’s Pride Festival with the return of the Dawn Ceremony, Te Takaranga Āniwaniwa," said Hindt. "It’s really important for us to make time to honour those who are no longer with us, who sculpted the landscape of NZ Takatāpui Culture. We are extremely fortunate to have local iwi elders support this kaupapa at Aotea Square on 1st February 2020.”

Embracing the unique mix of cultures, sexualities, and gender identities of Aotearoa’s diverse LGBTQIA+ communities, the Auckland Pride Festival offers the chance for all to come together for celebration, communication, and protest as we welcome a new decade.

The Auckland Pride Festival 2020 runs from Saturday 1 – Sunday 16 February, 2020
‘Our Liberation, Our Celebration, Our Pride’

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