Hong Kong Pride Parade organisers have cancelled their planned Rainbow Market after Central Market withdrew its confirmed November booking, citing an administrative error that left the venue double booked for two events on the same day. The cancellation marks the second consecutive year the organisers have lost a venue after announcing plans for an event.
In a statement published on Instagram on Thursday, October 15, 2026, the Hong Kong Pride Parade Organising Committee said it had secured Central Market for November 14 and paid a deposit in July. The venue operator later informed the committee that the site would no longer be available, leaving the organisers without a replacement location for the event within November.
Chinachem Group, which operates Central Market, confirmed to Hong Kong Free Press (HKFP) by email that the venue could not be provided on the scheduled date because of a “booking overlap.” The company said it had reviewed its booking procedures, apologised for the inconvenience and arranged a full refund.
The committee said it would continue trying to organise the Rainbow Market and publish updated arrangements through the Hong Kong Pride Parade’s social media accounts.
Organisers say booking was confirmed before cancellation
According to the committee, it first contacted Central Market in June to ask about holding the Rainbow Market. The venue confirmed later that month that November 14 was available, allowing the organisers to proceed with their plans.
The committee paid a deposit in July and subsequently announced the event’s date and location on social media. About a month after the announcement, however, Central Market informed the organisers that the booking could not go ahead.
The committee said the explanation it received was that an administrative staff error had resulted in two separate events being booked for the same date.
The cancellation disrupted arrangements that had already been communicated publicly. With the venue no longer available, the organisers also faced the challenge of finding another suitable site within the same month.
Chinachem told HKFP that the venue could not accommodate the event on the original date because of the booking overlap. The company said it had notified the organisers as soon as possible and arranged a full refund.
“We have reviewed the relevant booking and management procedures and implemented appropriate improvements to help prevent similar incidents from recurring,” Chinachem said in its emailed response.
The company also apologised for the inconvenience caused by the cancellation.
An online check of Central Market’s event calendar on Thursday evening showed no event listed for November 14. The absence of a listing did not, by itself, establish what arrangements had been made for the other event involved in the reported booking conflict.
Neither the committee’s statement nor Chinachem’s response identified the other event or provided further details about how the double booking occurred.
Second consecutive year a venue has been withdrawn
The Rainbow Market cancellation follows a similar disruption in 2025, when the organisers planned an outdoor festival at Kwun Tong Promenade.
The committee was subsequently told that the promenade could not be used because of construction work. The organisers moved their Rainbow Market event indoors, holding it at The Wave in Kwun Tong on November 23, 2025.
The committee said the latest cancellation was the second time a venue had withdrawn its booking after the organisers had announced event details.
The repeated difficulties have added uncertainty to the committee’s efforts to maintain a public event for Hong Kong’s LGBTQ community. Although the organisers have continued holding activities in alternative formats, the loss of a confirmed venue creates practical problems involving promotion, logistics and communication with people planning to attend.
For the 2026 event, Central Market had initially appeared to provide a confirmed location, with the organisers paying a deposit and publishing the date before the cancellation notice arrived.
Chinachem’s explanation was that the booking conflict resulted from an administrative error rather than a stated objection to the nature of the event. The company said it had changed its procedures to reduce the likelihood of similar incidents, but it did not disclose details of those changes.
The committee, meanwhile, has not announced a replacement venue or a revised date.
Pride events have changed format since 2021
The Hong Kong Pride Parade Organising Committee began adapting its annual event into an indoor market format in 2021, citing changes in Hong Kong’s social environment.
The city’s first Pride parade took place in 2008, organised by a coalition of local LGBTQ groups. The last parade was held in 2018.
In 2019, authorities did not approve the committee’s application for a march, citing safety concerns amid the anti extradition protests and the unrest surrounding them. Organisers held a stationary rally instead, allowing participants to gather in support of LGBTQ rights without proceeding along a parade route.
The following year, the event moved online because of COVID 19 restrictions. Since 2021, the organisers have continued with indoor market events, reflecting the format they said was appropriate under changing social conditions.
The Rainbow Market has become one way for the committee to maintain public engagement without holding a street parade. Its cancellation therefore affects more than a single date on the events calendar: it interrupts an activity the organisers have used to bring people together and promote inclusion.
The committee has described the market as an opportunity to support an LGBTQ friendly culture within Hong Kong and to present the city internationally as an inclusive metropolis.
Four local LGBTQ groups make up the committee
The Hong Kong Pride Parade Organising Committee comprises four local organisations: Les Corner Empowerment Association, Rainbow of Hong Kong, the Association for Transgender Rights and Made in Gender.
Together, the groups have organised Pride activities in Hong Kong since the first parade in 2008. Their work has continued through changes in event formats, including the shift from a street procession to a stationary rally, an online event and indoor markets.
In its October 15 statement, the committee described the Rainbow Market as a significant inclusive event for the city. It said the gathering helps promote an LGBTQ friendly culture locally while affirming Hong Kong’s image as an international metropolis.
The organisers also thanked supporters of equal rights for sexual minorities and apologised to those affected by the latest cancellation.
They said they would make every effort to continue organising the event and would share updated arrangements through the Hong Kong Pride Parade’s social media channels.
Chinachem apologises as organisers consider next steps
Chinachem’s response confirms that the November 14 booking cannot proceed as originally planned. The operator said it had arranged a full refund and reviewed the procedures involved in managing venue bookings.
However, the company’s response did not offer an alternative location, and it said no replacement venue within November was available to the organisers through its arrangements.
The committee must now determine whether it can secure another suitable venue, change the date or postpone the Rainbow Market. Until an updated announcement is made, attendees cannot rely on the original Central Market booking.
The incident also raises practical questions about how venues communicate confirmed reservations and prevent scheduling conflicts, particularly when organisers have already paid deposits and publicly announced their plans.
For now, the Hong Kong Pride Parade Organising Committee has said it will continue working towards holding the event. Anyone planning to attend should check the organisation’s official social media accounts for confirmed information before making arrangements.
Will the organisers find a new venue for the Rainbow Market, or will Hong Kong’s LGBTQ community have to wait for another date to gather?