A Pride Month kickoff event scheduled for June 6 in Boise has been canceled after organizers cited lower-than-expected community turnout, despite apparent support expressed online.
The event, which was intended to mark the beginning of Pride Month and expand local LGBTQ+ programming, will not move forward as planned.
The event was separate from the annual Boise Pride Festival, which is held each September and typically draws thousands of attendees.
Organizers had hoped the June event would serve as a complementary celebration, aligning with national Pride Month festivities taking place in other cities during the summer.
According to a statement from Boise Pride, the cancellation was attributed to a lack of early community engagement.
“We know the desire for more Pride programming is real—we hear it constantly,” the organizers said, as reported by CBS 2 News.
“However, early buy-in from the community is essential for events outside our main festival.”
The event’s cancellation has prompted a full refund for those who had already purchased tickets.
Organizers stated they plan to use the opportunity to re-evaluate and possibly relaunch the event in a future year.
“We still believe in the idea behind the Pride Season Kickoff, and we hope to revisit it in the future,” the statement continued.
Boise Pride also called for more tangible support from local residents.
“We need real-world support for these events to happen,” the group said, emphasizing that online encouragement alone is not sufficient to sustain programming outside the September festival.
The cancellation in Boise comes amid a broader national trend of scaled-back Pride events and sponsorships.
Across the country, several Pride organizations are reporting reduced funding and participation in the wake of growing political and cultural tensions surrounding LGBTQ+ issues.
New York City Pride recently announced that it had lost approximately 25 percent of its corporate sponsorships for 2024.
According to organizers, some sponsors cited apprehensions over the potential for political backlash, particularly following moves by the Trump administration to defund and reverse Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs in federal agencies and government contracting.
Additional concern stemmed from fears of consumer pushback, similar to the response faced by Bud Light in 2023 after its controversial marketing campaign with a transgender social media personality.
That incident sparked a national boycott that affected company sales and prompted major brands to re-evaluate their involvement in Pride campaigns.
In Boise, Pride organizers stressed that the main September festival remains on schedule and will continue as planned.
They reiterated their commitment to expanding community engagement throughout the year but acknowledged that additional events will require stronger participation to be successful.
While no new date has been set for a possible future kickoff event, the group said it remains open to trying again in the future with better preparation and local involvement.
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