Dan

Fri, 11 Nov 2005 10:22:39 -0800

Here's their press release: Pride Festival to Move to Seattle Center Organizers site growing size, safety concerns for move from Capitol Hill SEATTLE - The organizers of the Seattle Pride Festival have announced they will move this year’s event from its traditional Volunteer Park setting to the Seattle Center. Seattle Pride decided to move the event because of the amazing growth of the Festival, which is creating safety issues and adversely affecting the Capitol Hill neighborhood. The decision to move the Festival was made after numerous public meetings. The vote was conducted this week to include the incoming board members, allowing them to have a voice in this decision. While recognizing the Hill as the traditionally “queer center” of Seattle, crowd size and safety demand a move to a larger site,” said Seattle Pride Board Member Dale Kershner. “We would love to collaborate to stage an event on the Hill during the weekend of Pride to commemorate that history, but the bulk of the Festival will happen at the Center,” he said. Kershner said that with the small group of volunteers that stages the event each year, and with no help from outside groups, it is easier to stage the event at the Seattle Center location. Additional venues at the Center allow organizers to offer community groups a forum for their membership, as well as creating a place for them to make political statements. In addition, he said, the parade route, which will now run through downtown, will allow for taller and more elaborate designs. Kershner said that Seattle Pride will still be a “no charge” event, as it always has been in the past. Organizers announced last summer their plans to move the two-day festival from Volunteer Park to the Seattle Center and the parade route from Broadway on Capitol Hill to Fourth Avenue in downtown Seattle. Although Seattle Pride had reserved the Seattle Center and received approval from the city of Seattle to move the parade route to Fourth Avenue starting in 2006, a final decision had not been made until Seattle Pride’s board meeting this week. At that time, Board President Tammy Zoch said, “We know a lot of emotions are involved here. We understand and appreciate that for a lot of people in the Capitol Hill neighborhood, particularly business owners on Broadway, these proposals represent a dramatic change. We strongly believe that over the years Seattle Pride has grown to such an extent that continuing to hold the festival at Volunteer Park and the parade on Broadway represents not only a hindrance to the event’s natural growth, but also a greater potential risk to those who attend and to the city’s facilities at Volunteer Park. We think Fourth Avenue and the Seattle Center are better suited to handle Seattle Pride’s record-setting crowds.” Seattle Pride Committee organizes the largest Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual and Transgender Pride March and Rally in the Northwest United States. The organization relies on an all-volunteer force to organize and operate the Seattle Pride festival. Members strive to make the event representative of everyone in the LGBT community in Seattle, and across the Northwest. Seattle Pride is a non-profit corporation and is not affiliated with the Northwest Pride Foundation.

Gomez

Thu, 10 Nov 2005 22:27:34 -0800

I never understood that. If everyone wants the parade to be held on the Hill so bad, then why not just organize and hold a parade on the hill anyway? Let the organizers who sold out and their cronies assemble near the Space Needle like idiots, everyone else who wants to stay on the hill can throw their own parade on Broadway, and to hell with whoever assembles at Seattle Center.

Dan

Thu, 10 Nov 2005 13:12:07 -0800

Yeah. I guess I wasn't clear. It should still be held at Volunteer, but Cal Anderson can also be incorporated.

josh

Thu, 10 Nov 2005 12:53:54 -0800

Isn't Volunteer Park a lot bigger than Cal Anderson?

Seattlest: Too Proud For The Hill

Dan

Gomez

Dan

josh