Metro Weekly

Capital Pride Alliance is seeking input on economic impact of Pride celebrations

Survey hopes to examine financial impact of Pride during celebrations prior to 2020

capital pride
2017 Capital Pride Parade — Photo: Julian Vankim

Capital Pride Alliance is asking people from the D.C. area LGBTQ community to complete an economic impact survey to provide feedback that can be used to plan for future Pride celebrations.

The survey, crafted with the help of volunteers from defense contractor Booz Allen Hamilton, a longtime Capital Pride sponsor, drops following a year when Capital Pride was forced to reorganize many of its previously planned events by taking them online while the District of Columbia, and the nation at large, were struggling with as-yet unresolved COVID-19 pandemic.

The questionnaire deals specifically with the popularity of, and past attendance at Capital Pride-related events, and the economic impact of Pride celebrations, including how much respondents typically spend on lodging, food, and which neighborhoods or establishments they’ve frequented in 2019 and past years. 

Typically, late May and early June is considered a boom for Washington, D.C.’s economy, especially its hospitality industry, which flourishes due to the influx of tourists and revelers wishing to attend Capital Pride-related festivities.

Each year, the Pride Parade and Pride Festival — the two largest events — draw an estimated crowd of anywhere from 250,000 to 400,000 people.

By taking the survey, respondents can help organizers determine how much they typically spend to attend Pride festivities, and compare that to the amount of money and business that wasn’t generated during 2020.

Capital Pride Alliance has asked those completing the survey to re-share its post about the survey, or create their own post with a link to it, on Facebook and other social media channels.

Other ways to increase the number of respondents include forwarding a link to the survey to others who might be interested or have attended Capital Pride events in the past.

To complete Capital Pride’s Economic Impact survey, visit www.capitalpride.org/economic-impact-survey.

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