The 11th edition of Hong Kong’s largest LGBTQ carnival has been cancelled after the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority backed out of offering an event venue without giving any reason, organisers have said.

The organising committee for Pink Dot HK said on Thursday that this year’s free pride event, which was originally scheduled for October 12, would be cancelled as they could not secure a venue. The team also apologised to everyone involved.

The organisers said they had spoken with the authority earlier in the year about renting Art Park for this year’s Pink Dot.

“However, while we were busy with planning and preparations, we were notified by West Kowloon that the venue could not be rented to us, without any explanation provided,” the committee said.

“Given the tight timeline and the already limited options for suitable outdoor venues, it was extremely challenging for us to secure an alternative venue on such short notice.

“With that, we have had to make the difficult decision to cancel this year’s Pink Dot HK event.”

In a reply to the Post, the authority said it would not comment on individual cases.