Knox Pride Fest 2025 has been cancelled only days before the festival was planned to happen.
On Oct. 1, John Camp, Knox Pride’s president, posted a Facebook video sharing the events’ cancellation.
“We were unable to secure liability insurance for the festival and the parade at the last minute,” Camp says in the video. “I know this is disheartening, disappointing and upsetting for a lot of folks. It’s extremely upsetting for us and nothing we wanted to come talk to you about today.”
The festival was set for this Friday and Saturday, Oct. 3 and Oct. 4. A parade on Gay Street was organized for Friday night, as well as an entire day of festivities on Saturday in World’s Fair Park. Sponsors, vendors and performers were all working in preparation for what would’ve been an exciting Pride Fest before its cancellation.
Despite the disappointment of the festival no longer happening, Camp expressed the hope of people in the Knoxville community traveling to join Chattanooga’s Pride Fest celebration this coming Sunday, Oct 5.
Camp’s video sparked an enormous amount of the Knoxville community to speak their minds under a different Facebook post from Kyle Grainger, a news reporter for WVLT, also announcing the cancellation. With nearly 4,000 different comments, there was a heavy amount of hatred shared amongst the readers.
“So thankful to Jesus! He is the One in control,” Jackie Berney Horner commented.
“Small step for man and a giant step for mankind,” Nate Smith commented.
“Halloween would be good for that circus,” Cookie Middleton commented.
On the other side of the community that supports Pride Fest and Knox Pride, many were upset by the unkind comments posted.
“Y’all realise we can coexist without agreeing with each other’s choices right? Keep opinions to yourself and let people live,” Dakota N Seth commented.
“I’m sorry this has happened, it’s not our place to judge. I always thought the message was to love everyone,” Toshia Lee Worley commented.
“Ain’t no hate like Christian love. I’m sorry to hear that for those who looked forward to this all year,” Serena Peacher commented.
There are many more comments similarly promoting hateful support and outrage about the fallout of the festival. Certain comments began ongoing threads of arguments and debate, further creating discord and negativity within the Knoxville community.
Specific comments direct the judgment to Grainger, who posted the announcement the morning Camp posted his video.
“I read it’s an insurance issue, nothing to do with hate. Would have been nice to include the link, and the reason,” Brenda J Arden commented.
“Nice Rage-Bait post Kyle. I know, I know, you’re just ‘reporting the news’ …” Dustin Dyer commented.
Pride Fest is one of the largest pride events in the South, and its cancellation is a hit to those looking forward to it. The hate spread online toward the LGBTQ+ Knoxville community raises the concern for safety that Camp mentioned in his Facebook video. The festival’s goal was to host an event for community, activism and celebration. The outcome of these negative comments is hurtful to what Pride Knox had organized.
“Community get out there it doesn’t have to be an official event to gather our pride family together. Remember we keep going no matter what,” Ken Perry commented.
