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Organisers of WorldPride and EuroGames taking place from 12-22 August have today (Monday 17 May) announced significant changes to their events. This comes after the Danish government extended restrictions that will be in place in August.

Most significantly, the WorldPride Parade which was due to take place on Saturday 21 August  is cancelled and will be replaced by a number of activism-led ‘Protest Walks’ that will take place several times during the event. These will be smaller protests than the Parade, to comply with restrictions. Routes will be announced later.

“Overly cautious”.

The familiar Pride stage in Copenhagen’s main square will also be replaced by a viewing area in a park, where 5,000 seated guests can enjoy concerts live-streamed from a smaller, indoor concert venue. Across the city, the event will take over several smaller spaces where up to 500 people can gather, and 50 cultural partners will have events throughout Copenhagen.

Copenhagen 2021 had been expected to attract up to a million visitors to events over the duration of WorldPride and EuroGames, but international travel restrictions combined with some people’s reluctance to attend events mean that many fewer are expected. The organisation had previously described the government’s decision on major events as ‘overly cautious’ and going against the government’s own expert group who advised last month that ‘all restrictions could be lifted when people above 16 have been offered a vaccine’.

Executive Managing Director of Copenhagen 2021, Benjamin Hansen, said:

“After five years of planning we are of course disappointed to have to make the decision to scale back some of our events. But the safety of everyone has to be our highest priority, and we have worked with our safety company RF Experience to create a meaningful and safe WorldPride and EuroGames experience for everyone.”

“Despite scaling back on some plans, we’re pleased that we haven’t had to cancel any of our events entirely. We still look forward to 29 EuroGames sports tournaments, dozens of cultural events, and a Human Rights Forum that will create a long-lasting legacy for Copenhagen 2021,” said Hansen.

Malmö unaffected.

Copenhagen 2021’s events in Malmö are unaffected by this announcement as organisers await a decision by the Swedish government. Several WorldPride events in Malmö have already been moved to alternative venues.

Full details of the revised plans for Copenhagen 2021 can be found on the website at copenhagen2021.com

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