We’re getting ready to welcome back Brighton & Hove’s fantastic Pride and celebrate the diversity and unity of our LGBTQ+ communities.
Brighton & Hove Pride is one of the city’s biggest and brightest events, bringing together thousands of residents and visitors to celebrate and take part in the festivities and enjoy the incomparable atmosphere in the city.
Pride season begins with Trans Pride on Saturday 18 July, with ‘United in Pride’ joining the city’s 2 landmark events forces together to create a 2-week festival.
This year marks Brighton & Hove Pride’s 35th anniversary and the main events will be taking place on the weekend of Saturday 1 and Sunday 2 August.
With Nick Cave playing in Preston Park on Friday 31 July, it promises to be an exciting and busy weekend for the city.
The main day of the city’s Pride celebrations is Saturday 1 August, and begins with the Pride Community parade progressing from Hove Lawns to Preston Park from 11am to 4pm.
The theme of this year’s parade – 'Power of Love: Our love, our history, our power' – honours the courage, protest, unity and love that carried our LGBTQI+ community through Clause 28, the AIDS crisis and decades of change.
Paying tribute to the activists whose love was an act of defiance and recommitting to that same spirit today - the power of love expressed through solidarity, resistance, and community.
Pride on the Park is the primary community fundraising and campaign event over the Pride weekend. This year, Pride is hosting more than 150 artists across 7 stages and entertainment zones, with headline acts RAYE on Saturday and the iconic Diana Ross on Sunday.
For the second year, the Pride Street Party is taking place on Marine Parade on Saturday and Sunday. It will feature the traditional attractions, including drag stages, and a variety of music zones and bars.
While St James’s Street remains outside of the Pride area and will have no outside bars or music over the weekend, venues will be open as usual and the street will be closed to vehicular traffic to ensure it’s a safe area for people to walk around.
For anyone unfamiliar with Brighton & Hove Pride, it’s on a big scale and takes over much of the city centre for the weekend. As always, we’re anticipating it will be a very busy time.
Visit the Brighton & Hove Pride website for full detail of what’s planned and explore the handy map of events and route of the parade.
Roads will be closed in the city centre on Saturday for the community parade and for the Pride Street Party on Saturday and Sunday.
There will also be road closures around Preston Park from Thursday evening to Sunday for Pride on the Park and the Nick Cave gig on Friday 31 July.
Buses will be rerouted over the weekend and, if you’re travelling by train, please do plan ahead to get here and home again.
Pride’s website has more travel advice. Keep an eye on the Brighton & Hove Buses website for full information on buses over the Pride weekend and Southern’s website for information on trains.
Councillor Mitchie Alexander, Cabinet Member for Communities, Equalities, Public Health and Adult Social Care, said: “In Brighton & Hove you are free to love who you love and to live life as your authentic self.
“As we begin our countdown to our legendary Pride celebrations, we stand with Pride in honouring the courage, unity and love that carries our LGBTQI+ communities in the continuing struggle for equality and freedom.
“We are working closely with the organisers, and our emergency services to plan for an exciting, beautiful and, importantly, a safe Pride that everyone can enjoy.”
Paul Kemp, managing director of Brighton & Hove Pride, said: “From our Community Parade to Pride on the Park and the Pride Street Party, our priority is always to celebrate our community here in Brighton & Hove with a safe, sustainable event supporting vital fundraising for our local groups and charities.
“Pride is as important now as it was when the event began in Brighton 35 years ago – both as a protest and a celebration. Pride still brings communities together in a way that few events can. Right now, with basic human rights everyone shares being eroded, that ability to unite and galvanise our community is more important than ever.
“On Pride weekend when the parade winds through the streets, pride and happiness will be shared by hundreds of thousands of people celebrating together as participants and spectators - that says it all.
"And with global superstars including Diana Ross and Raye on this year’s Pride on the Park line-up, alongside the very best emerging talent, local drag artists and cabaret performers, we’re excited to welcome visitors to our fabulous and diverse city for Pride!”