Hong Kong’s LGBTQ Pink Dot Party Canceled Again
One of Hong Kong’s largest LGBTQ events, Pink Dot, has been canceled for the second consecutive year after organizers said their chosen venue withdrew at the final stage of preparations.
Pink Dot Hong Kong has been held annually since 2014, featuring a mix of music performances, art, and workshops that promote diversity and LGBTQ rights.
Pink Dot HK is Hong Kong’s largest annual LGBTQ+ event. Founded as an offshoot of Singapore’s Pink Dot movement, it is a massive, family-friendly outdoor carnival and concert that brings together the LGBTQ+ community, allies, and families to celebrate diversity, inclusion, and love.
It drew nearly 7,000 participants two years ago, but last year’s event was canceled because the festival was denied a venue “without explanation”, according to organizers. The organization’s last tweet was in 2022. A tweet from 2021 thanked a large and prominent list of sponsors, as well as photos from a well-attended event.
Pink Dot said their venue manager, real estate investor Link REIT, had told them this year that “due to licensing issues, the venue cannot be rented”, even as the carnival was making its final preparations.
It comes as another setback to the city’s LGBTQ community after Hong Kong’s legislature overwhelmingly voted down a bill in September that would have granted limited rights to same-sex couples.
“Faced with (venue) uncertainty, given the tight timeline and the involvement of numerous partner organizations… we have had to make the difficult decision to cancel” the June event, Pink Dot said.
“With just one month to go until the scheduled event date, we have been diligently following procedures to apply for the necessary licenses, but have not yet received approval from the relevant authorities,” the organizers said.
Link REIT, when asked for comment, said it had been liaising with the organizers “to support the event’s preparation.”
“In line with standard requirements, the use of the venue is subject to the organizer obtaining all licenses required under applicable laws,” it said in a statement.
The West Kowloon Cultural District, a statutory body whose members are appointed by the government, denied Pink Dot a venue last year “without explanation,” organizers said at the time.
