Chicago's Pride Parade is returning in-person this June, organizers announced Wednesday.
The iconic parade, which has been canceled due to COVID concerns the last two years, is set to step off June 26, organizer Tim Frye confirmed to NBC Chicago. The news was first reported by GoPride.com.
Frye noted that parade officials will be "closely watching" what happens in the next couple of months to determine what, if any, COVID restrictions will be in place. Further information is expected to be released in the coming months.
Last year, the 2021 parade was rescheduled to the fall to make way for COVID vaccines and LGBTQI+ History Month. Then the fall celebration was canceled as the COVID pandemic raged on.
"We don't feel, though, that we can do it safely for everyone in the parade and the people watching," said 2021 parade organizer Tim Frye in a statement. "We must cancel the parade for the second year."
Before that, the 2020 parade marked the first cancellation in the event's history. In 2019, the event was cut short due to severe weather.
Still, parade organizers have been looking ahead to 2022 for months.
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"There is a saying 'Third Times A Charm,'" Frye wrote. "We have already scheduled the 2022 Chicago Pride Parade for Sunday, June 26, 2022. We're going to believe that saying. We're going to believe that in June 2022 we are living in a far safer world than now. We intend to have the best, most joyous, fabulous, memorable Pride Parade ever. Count on it!"
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