Auckland’s Pride Month is shaping up to be a historic event for the city’s rainbow communities as the Festival looks to commemorate 50 years of Pride in Tāmaki Makaurau, 50 years on from the start of the Gay Liberation Movement in 1972. Today Auckland Pride is launching the registration process that will see hundreds of community events be part of next year’s region-wide celebration.

“There’s an incredible amount of history in the past 50 years - from the AIDS crisis, Hero Parades, to Marriage Equality, our history is expansive, complex, and important for us to understand as we move forward as a community” says Executive Director Max Tweedie. “Together, we hope to create a Festival in 2022 that reflects on the vast history of our communities, that honours our heroes, and is a fountain of knowledge that will strengthen our communities for the years and progress to come.”

Auckland Pride are excited to announce the return of the Pride & Spark Empowerment Initiative, the third year of their partnership with Spark that will once again be a key driver in resourcing and supporting Auckland’s diverse rainbow communities to participate in the Festival. Applications are open alongside event registrations, demonstrating Auckland Pride’s commitment to reducing barriers to participation in the month-long Festival.

“The return of the Pride & Spark Empowerment Initiative will ensure that we get to hear everyone’s voices during Pride Month, and we’re incredibly grateful to our partners at Spark for continuing to support our vision for Auckland Pride. We’re excited for our communities to be inspired by the possibilities that our theme ‘50 years of Pride’ presents, and to be able to use the Pride & Spark Empowerment Initiative to deliver them. We encourage everyone to apply for funding or submit their event to be part of Pride Month!”

Auckland Pride are working with their partners at Auckland Council for the return of the Proud Centres Programme in Pride 2022. The Proud Centres are a core part of the Festival's commitment to spreading Pride across all of Tāmaki Makaurau and creating an accessible, diverse programme of events. These details are being finalised and will be announced soon. Auckland Pride are also excited to be a part of both Q and Basement Theatres’ Summer Seasons, with submissions open in two weeks’ time.

Registrations for the 2022 Auckland Pride Festival are now open on the Auckland Pride Website, alongside applications for the Pride & Spark Empowerment Initiative. Auckland Pride is committed to protecting their communities against COVID-19 and preparing their Festival for Alert Level Changes - more information can be found on their COVID-19 Information Page.