Britney is coming!
That’s was the cry that went round a lot of residents a few months ago when the headline act for this year’s Pride was announced.
Now I might be showing my age preferences a little but I was more impressed with the announcement of Nile Rodgers for the Sunday but hey ho – I’ve learnt to live with being old before my time.
But there is no doubt that this year’s Pride celebrations are likely to be the biggest in the event’s long history, and the predicted good weather will only add to the atmosphere – even if everyone does need to be liberally applying sun protection.
As a council our teams will be out in force supporting the preparation, planning, delivery and clear-up for the whole set of events.
The event is the biggest in our city’s annual calendar and it is no wonder when you consider that over 150,000 people will take part or watch the parade, 145,000 will attend ticketed events over the weekend and 55,000 will be screaming for Britney to Do It Again.
The mood across the city is always wonderful for the whole Pride period and it’s a true celebration of the ongoing commitment to valuing diversity that exists across the whole city.
I’ve run stalls at Preston Park and walked in the parade across the years and I have to admit that the parade is now the one part of Pride I could not bear to miss. The crowds, atmosphere and participants make it one of the highlights of my summer.
But a quick plea to those planning on attending. Please remember to keep hydrated and protect yourselves from the sun. Don’t leave you rubbish for our Cityclean staff to deal with – use one of the many bins or even take it home with you if these end up getting full.
But mostly please look out for those around you and make sure you celebrate our city’s diversity with Pride. It’s the largest Pride in the UK and we should all definitely celebrate that!
Councillor Daniel Yates is the Labour leader of Brighton and Hove City Council.
