Hong Kong Pride event axed due to ‘booking overlap,’ marking group’s 2nd consecutive venue cancellation

The group that once held Hong Kong’s annual Pride parades has said that a market event originally scheduled for November has been cancelled after its venue booking was axed due to an administrative error.

In a Thursday statement on Instagram, the Hong Kong Pride Parade Organising Committee said that its venue booking at Central Market had been pulled because an administrative error had double-booked the committee’s Rainbow Market with another event.

This marks the second time a venue has pulled the organiser’s booking after event details were announced, the statement says. The Pride organisers had planned to hold a festival at Kwun Tong Promenade last year only to be notified suddenly that the venue could not be used.

See also: Timeline: Hong Kong civil society’s mysteriously axed venue bookings

The organisers began adapting their annual Pride Parade into an indoor market event in 2021, “due to changes in the social environment,” the statement read.

The committee said that it contacted Central Market in June, received confirmation later that month that the venue was available on November 14, and paid a deposit in July.

It announced the date and venue for the Rainbow Market on its social media pages, but was notified by Central Market about a month later that the venue could no longer be rented for the event.

“The reason given was an administrative staff error that resulted in double-booking the venue for two separate events on the same day,” it said.

Chinachem Group, which operates Central Market, also told the organiser that it had no alternative venues available for the event within November.

In an emailed reply to HKFP, Chinachem said that it was unable to make the venue available on the originally scheduled date, “due to a booking overlap.”

“We have reviewed the relevant booking and management procedures and implemented appropriate improvements to help prevent similar incidents from recurring,” the property development conglomerate said.

“The organiser was notified as soon as possible, and a full refund was arranged. We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience caused,” Chinachem said.

An online check of Central Market’s event calendar on Thursday evening shows no events scheduled on November 14.

Thursday’s statement said: “The organising committee firmly believes that the ‘Rainbow Market’ is a significant inclusive event for Hong Kong: internally, it helps foster an LGBTI+ friendly culture in Hong Kong; externally, it affirms Hong Kong’s progressive image as an international metropolis.”

“The committee will make every effort to continue organizing the event and will announce updated arrangements on Hong Kong Pride Parade’s social media in due course,” it continued. “We deeply appreciate everyone’s support for equal rights for sexual minorities and sincerely apologise to all those affected by this cancellation.”

The committee comprises four local LGBTQ groups: Les Corner Empowerment Association, Rainbow of Hong Kong, the Association for Transgender Rights, and Made in Gender. The group organised the city’s first Pride parade in 2008, with the last parade held in 2018.

See also: Timeline: Hong Kong civil society’s mysteriously axed venue bookings

It was denied approval for a march in 2019 over safety concerns amid the anti-extradition protests and unrest and held a static rally instead.

The following year, the parade went online due to Covid-19 restrictions and has been moved indoors since 2021 “due to the social situation in Hong Kong,” the group said.

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James Lee is a reporter at Hong Kong Free Press with an interest in culture and social issues. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in English and a minor in Journalism from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, where he witnessed the institution’s transformation over the course of the 2019 extradition bill protests and after the passing of the Beijing-imposed security law.

Since joining HKFP in 2023, he has covered local politics, the city’s housing crisis, as well as landmark court cases including the 47 democrats national security trial. He was previously a reporter at The Standard where he interviewed pro-establishment heavyweights and extensively covered the Covid-19 pandemic and Hong Kong’s political overhauls under the national security law.