The infamous canal parade may be cancelled, but the coronavirus pandemic isn’t going to stop Pride Amsterdam from happening. Organisers have been told that the popular street parties that take place in the Reguliersdwarsstraat in the centre of Amsterdam should be able to go ahead as planned.
Back in May, the organisers behind Pride Amsterdam announced that the event would be going ahead but that for the second year in a row, there would be no canal parade. But since this year will mark the 25th anniversary of Pride Amsterdam, many were hopeful organisers would still be able to bring the party atmosphere to the Dutch capital.
And this week, organiser Edward Koning delivered the news many were eagerly awaiting: while many of the major events won't be taking place, the street parties in the Reguliersdwarsstraat on August 6 and August 7 have been given the green light by the local municipality.
While this is surely happy news for a number of people who look forward to celebrating 25 years of Pride Amsterdam in style, Koning has emphasised that the official permit for the event is yet to be granted. “This is only preliminary advice, which is crucial for the permit application, so I am confident that everything will be fine,” he said.
Due to coronavirus, steps have been taken to ensure the event can go ahead as safely as possible. The parties will only be open to 2.500 people instead of the usual 4.500 people, and the event will be ticketed to cover the costs of the additional coronavirus measures.
An official decision on whether or not the necessary permits have been granted and these street parties will go ahead will be announced on July 27. A number of other events will also be going ahead, including the Pride Walk, and an open-air exhibition in the Vondelpark.