Confusion reigns over the future of the Hero Parade and the AK05 festival following the departure of festival director Simon Prast. The Hero Brand Management Group were in talks with the festival to have the Hero Parade included under the AK05 umbrella of events next year, after being approached by Prast, but AK05 representatives spoken to by GayNZ.com laid the responsibility firmly at Hero's door. "We haven't finalized the programme. Under the array of all the things that are possible for the festival, the Hero Parade is in there," says festival trust chairman Richard Waddell. "But I can't say whether it'll go ahead, or whether in fact the festival will back it financially. My gut feeling is it can't be." Since Prast's role was made redundant by AK05's restructuring, there have been rumours that his support for Hero's inclusion in the Auckland City Council-funded festival were behind his departure. Hero spokesman Mike Binis says Prast was their "only link" to AK05, and they have not had contact with the festival organizers since. They learned of Prast's demise when they heard it on the radio. “The last meeting that we had at AK05, Simon had actually said he was surprised by the lack of grief he was getting from the council, that things were going a lot more smoothly than he expected," Binis says. No-one seems to know precisely how far Prast had got with his negotiations. Hero's attempts to contact him have so far been unsuccessful.
Credit: GayNZ.com News Staff
First published: Wednesday, 21st July 2004 - 12:00pm