This weekend, the city would usually be celebrating the spectacular Brighton & Hove Pride.
The community parade, village party and festival make up an important event in our city’s cultural calendar to promote LGBTQ equality and inclusion and are much missed.
We recognise that a lot of people will want to mark the weekend but, with COVID-19 rates in the city still high, we’re asking everyone to follow the advice for a safe, happy and Covid-free weekend.
Emergency services are still overstretched, so please look after yourself to avoid adding any extra pressure.
If you’re celebrating, drink and drugs can also impact your ability to remain aware of Covid safety – please be responsible and keep yourself and others safe.
Stay away from the sea when you've been drinking – the beach shelves steeply and it’s easy to get out of your depth quickly.
More than a quarter of all adult drowning victims have alcohol or drugs in their bloodstream.
Love our city
Our Cityclean teams will be out doing extra clean-ups over the weekend but please do your bit and take all your rubbish and recycling home to help keep our seafront and parks litter-free.
Enforcement officers are patrolling the city and hand out on-the-spot fines of £150 to anyone caught dropping litter or not disposing of it properly
If you’re travelling, trains and buses are expected to be busy. Trains may be limited or cancelled at short notice due to the ongoing impact of Covid-19.
Check the latest information at www.nationalrail.co.uk and www.buses.co.uk before you travel.
Raising our voices for equality
Councillor Steph Powell, co-chair of the Tourism, Equalities, Communities & Culture committee, said:
“Due to the ongoing impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, the city’s community Pride parade, festival and village party are all cancelled this year.
“We know that many people will still want to mark Pride, so we are anticipating a busier weekend than usual.
“It’s so important that we can keep raising our voices for equality. Whatever your plans, it’s really important to remember that Brighton & Hove is still an area with high rates of Covid – and we know that the last thing people want is to come away unwell.
“If you’re out and about with friends, it’s also good to avoid busy areas, and keep up the basic protections that we know can help keep us all safe.
“Wearing a mask if you can, keeping spaces well ventilated or meeting outside, as well as regular Covid testing is a key way we can all look after each other and ensure a safe and happy weekend. There’s also additional testing available for people aged 18-29.
“It’s also important to be aware that already stretched emergency services and public transport may also struggle to manage any extra demand, and that while we’re putting in place measures to help manage queues, trains can be cancelled at short notice because of staff shortages.
“As with any summer weekend, we’re also sharing strong warnings about sea safety and litter on our seafront. Fines will be issued to those who litter, and with over 500 bins on the seafront, please bin your rubbish or take it home if the bin is full.
“We look forward to Pride coming back bigger and better than ever next year, as we know this weekend is a really significant one for our LGBTQIA+ communities.
“We want to make sure everyone can have a safe and positive experience, as we continue to champion LGBTQIA+ equality both here and around the world.
“Let’s not forget that this year more than ever, as we still push to reduce the impact of the pandemic on our communities, we can support each other by staying safe.”
Reporting anti-social behaviour and hate crime
Everyone in Brighton & Hove has a right to feel safe.
We encourage anyone who has experienced anti-social behaviour or hate incidents, including harassment or distress due to their identity, to report it
Our community safety team works closely with the police and our communities to prevent anti-social behaviour and hate incidents and support anyone affected.
If you have experienced or witnessed hate crime, our community safety team are here to support you and provide advice. You can contact our team by:
• using our online anti-social behaviour and hate incident reporting form
• emailing communitysafety.casework@brighton-hove.gov.uk
• calling 01273 292 735 - in an emergency, always call the police on 999
Or report hate incidents to Sussex Police or call them on 101 if it’s not an emergency.
You can find support and advice if you have experienced or witnessed hate crime from the Rainbow Hub, the city’s LGBTQ+ Community Hub.
You can also call the national LGBT+ Hate Crime Helpline on 020 7704 2040.
