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The Civic Center is the top choice for Atlanta Pride organizers to hold the annual celebration, tentatively scheduled for July 4-6. (Photo by Dyana Bagby)
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HOME > NEWS > LOCAL
By: DYANA BAGBY
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Atlanta Pride will be held at the Civic Center during July 4th weekend, but costs to rent the facility are much higher than anticipated, Pride Executive Director Donna Narducci said this week.
Narducci said Atlanta Pride received a rental agreement fee Jan. 14 from the Civic Center much higher than the anticipated $30,000-$50,000 Atlanta Pride expected. Negotiations this week finalized the agreement at between $60,000-$80,000, Narducci said. The rental fee does not include the fact the Civic Center works with union labor for clean up as well as some security, which adds to Pride costs.
When using Piedmont Park for the festival that attracts some 300,000 people over the three-day weekend, costs incurred for using the park included about $15,000 for clean up and $15,000 for repairing any damaged property, Narducci said.
“Obviously this is way over the amount we were anticipating,” Narducci said Tuesday. “But now we want people to come out and support us. It’s a holiday weekend and this year will be new and different and exciting. We could use everyone’s support.”
Atlanta Pride, as well as the Dogwood Festival, the Peachtree Road Race and the city’s Jazz Festival, were forced out of Piedmont Park this year due to the state’s severe drought, according to a new city policy released to the public Jan. 11.
Dianne Harnell Cohen, commissioner of the city’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs, acknowledged this was a difficult time, but this was the best option to preserve the parks for future events.
“We know this is a very big challenge and we are in this together,” she said.
Narducci has said she hoped the city would work with festival organizers to either waive permit fees or at least lower fees to help with the last-minute scrambling festival organizers are being forced to undergo.
Greg Pridgeon , chief of staff for Mayor Shirley Franklin, said the city has not considered that option.
Numerous events are typically planned around the city during the July 4th weekend, most notably the Peachtree Road Race. Narducci said she doesn’t expect any “tripping over” the race because it is held in the morning while Atlanta Pride begins in the evening.
“It could be kind of fun — we may have more folks coming to town,” she said. “After the initial shock [of the venue change], we’re getting excited about infusing new ideas. The Pride committee is up for it.”
Narducci said the Civic Center is the best option for Atlanta Pride because it will help keep the event intact — the indoor venues provide places for such popular events as the YouthPride Prom and the Commitment Ceremony. The AIDS Quilt could also be displayed indoors, perhaps for the entire weekend as well, she said.
Major corporate sponsors are still backing the event despite the changes.
“As the official airline for Atlanta Pride, Delta is ready to welcome GLBT visitors from around the world to one of the premier U.S. Pride events. We’re ready to help Pride-goers with their reservations to Pride whenever the date is officially set,” said Delta Air Lines spokesperson Andy McDill, calling Pride "an important sponsorship for us in our hometown.”
Atlanta City Council member Anne Fauver, a lesbian who represents District 6 where Piedmont Park is located, said she looks forward to Atlanta Pride, and all other festivals, enjoying a successful season despite being relocated.
“The venue may change [for Atlanta Pride], but that will not at all change the spirit,” she said.
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