Sparkle event dimmed as festival goes online
ONE of the world’s largest celebrations of gender diversity has announced that its 2021 event will not take place in Manchester’s gay village this year.
The Sparkle Weekend, which was due to take place from Friday July 9 until Sunday July 11 in Sackville Gardens, has now been moved to an online-only event.
Organisers said the move was necessary due to the fact that the event would be held before July 31 - the planned date when coronavirus vaccinations were expected to be widely available to adults across the UK.
“Unfortunately, despite the availability of vaccines to counter the Coronavirus pandemic, it was felt that the weekend falls before the
Government’s estimated date that every adult will be offered their first vaccination by,” the statement from the Board of Sparkle said.
“We could not protect the health and welfare of all our visitors - especially those from high-risk categories, or younger trans people under 18, who will not have been offered a vaccine.”
The setback comes following the recent announcement that Manchester Pride bosses were planning to carry out its annual Pride celebration as planned over the August Bank Holiday weekend.
Sparkle organisers said that more details on this year’s digital offerings would be announced in due course and that it ‘fully intends’ to return as a full event in July 2022.
The national transgender charity also said it would be liaising with Village venues over plans for the original 2021 dates.
“We understand that some members of our Sparkle family may still want to visit Manchester during that weekend,” the statement added. “We will be working closely with venues in the Gay Village to ensure that you receive the same warm welcome as always.”