Aurora Pride Festival Canceled After Only One Year

Chicago (CBS) -- The 2019 Aurora Pride Festival has been canceled, Indivisible Aurora announced Friday.

The 2018 Aurora Pride Parade, the first in the Chicago suburbs, brought 10,000 to 12,000 people out, but the much larger festival planned for this summer was called off.

Indivisible Aurora, the group organizing the event, said the costs for the parade alone would have increased four-fold over last year due to a new city ordinance. After considering several options to raise money, the organization's board of directors decided to cancel the parade and all other activities planned.

"As you can imagine, we are heartbroken and disappointed for the Fox Valley LGBTQ+ community, our partners and sponsors, and our enthusiastic supporters and volunteers. We'd like to thank them all for their steadfast support," Indivisible Aurora said in a press release.

Sponsors, donors and participants will be refunded within 14 days. Those who donated to the festival will be able to receive a full refund, or they can donate all or part of their donation to one of three local organizations working with the LGBTQ+ community.

Indivisible Aurora says to stay tuned for future information about plans for a 2020 pride festival.