Pink Season 2012 to celebrate gay and transgender rights
With 30 events, festival will be biggest of its kind in Asia and one of the largest in the world
The summer may be ending, but Pink Season is just starting, with a two-month stretch of parties, gay pageants and family-friendly events to celebrate gay and transgender rights for tourists and Hongkongers alike.
Pink Season 2012 will include 30 events, such as picnics and photo exhibits, from September 29 to December 4 - making it the largest such festival in Asia and one of the largest in the world.
The Tourism Board first approached Pink Alliance, a Hong Kong network of gay-rights groups, with the idea of organising a pride festival for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community last year.
Pink Alliance volunteers took up the challenge, and the first Pink Season festival attracted more than 10,000 participants to 22 of their events in the city.
This year, organisers have made the festival more family-friendly so that more people will feel comfortable participating, said Pink Season volunteer co-ordinator Tay Her Lim.
"Pink Season is not just about promoting LGBT pride; it's about having fun, inclusive events to encourage all kinds of people in society to learn about LGBT issues and get involved," the 33-year-old said.