Covid 19 coronavirus: Auckland Pride Parade cancelled this Saturday but organisers plan to set a new date

The Pride Parade on Saturday has been postponed. Photo / File

One of Auckland's most colourful events, the Pride Parade along Ponsonby Rd, has been cancelled on Saturday because of Covid-19.

Event manager Shaughan Woodcock said a decision was made today to cancel the event, but said the organisers planned to set a new date by the end of the week once things become clearer with the lockdown.

"It is devastating and upsetting we have had to make that call, but it is the right call to look after our rainbow family and rainbow allies," he said.

The Pride Parade attracts hundreds of participants and thousands of visitors to Ponsonby Rd and Woodcock was expecting a crowd of about 15,000 people this year.

He said like last year, this year's parade would be a walking parade after plans for a fully motorised parade was ruled out due to Covid putting barriers around sponsorship.

A huge amount of work had gone into the parade, which included whānau coming from Hamilton and Pride Taranaki attending, Woodcock said.

The Lantern Festival is due to be held from February 25-28. Photo / File

The future of the Lantern Festival at Captain Cook and Marsden Wharves from February 25-28 also hangs in the balance.

Richard Clarke, head of major events at Auckland Unlimited, said due to the size of the Lantern Festival it can only be delivered at alert level 1. Auckland is currently in alert level 3.

The Chinese New Year festival is free but being ticketed this year to allow contact tracing and crowd management.

"At this stage our planning continues for the Auckland Lantern Festival while we await further updates from the Ministry of Health. The health and safety of the community and everyone involved in the delivery of the event is of course our top priority.

"We are carefully monitoring all updates from the Ministry of Health over the coming days and what the potential impacts may be on the festival," Clarke said.

The remaining programmes at the Auckland Fringe Town event have also been cancelled, said Auckland Unlimited, the council's cultural and economic arm.

The event, part of the Auckland Fringe Festival, is due to run until February 21, and will only continue if alert levels allow.

The lockdown has also seen the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra's first concert of the year on Thursday cancelled. It was due to feature pianist Michael Houstoun, whose farewell concert performance about this time last year was stymied by the first lockdown.