Thousand of people packed Brighton for the annual Pride Parade today (Saturday 2 August), with floats and followers heading from the seafront to Preston Park in a riot of colour.
And later in the park, Mariah Carey is due to perform, with the support acts including the likes of Sister Sledge. Tomorrow, the Sugababes top a bill that includes Fatboy Slim.
Tonight the Pride Street Party is taking place on the A259 Marine Parade rather than in St James’s Street.
The organisers said that ticket sales helped to raise funds for LGTQ+ charities and that the money would be distributed by the Pride Community Foundation.
Preston Park and London Road railway stations were closed, with rail services busier than usual for a Saturday.
In all, about 300,000 people are expected to join the Pride events over the weekend, with the organisers estimating that they will give a £20 million boost to the local economy.
The parade is just a photo opportunity for those watching, they don’t give a toss about the politics. City is just full of traders who believe sticking a rainbow flag in their window makes them gay friendly. All they care about is how much money they can make and most never even think of making a donation to Pride.
The two uses of the word ‘just’ in your post say more about your cynical viewpoint, than about the views of those attending, or the spirit in the city.
You know nothing. All I saw was idiots taking photos annd the last thing they were thinking about was LGBT rights.
There’s nothing wrong with criticising corporate pinkwashing or overcrowded event planning; those are fair topics. But when your comments move from critique into dismissing people’s joy, it stops being civic feedback and starts becoming something more bitter and borderline.
Every word is true. Live with it.
There was such a lovely feeling in the city today, like it was a special day.
Families, couples and single people lined the streets to see the colourful costumes and the floats, and the drumming and dancing groups, and there were families and kids all watching and cheering when they saw something they liked.
I personally loved the rollerbladers, the gay rugby group passing the ball, and the Samaritans and the McMillan community clans. Every group on the march had made such an effort.
The Gay Men’s Chorus marched this year in solidarity with the trans people – a minority group who sometimes feel bashed on the LGBTQ+ acronym. It’s always odd to me that there are two other LGBTQ+ choirs, but they too had floats. Then there was another marching group from Glyndebourne – who, sadly, didn’t sing opera.
I didn’t get as far as Preston park this year because of mobility issues, but the early part of the march was kind and gentle, and a lovely local display of how the Brighton and Hove free-thinking community comes together to create a carnival atmosphere.
I was home by 6pm, so maybe I just avoided the messy or drunken bit.
But the weather this year has been great so far, helping the visual spectacle, and let’s hope the Pride team also get through their Sunday in the park without any rain.
Either way, I think we can already see this year’s event as a huge success, both for Pride fans, and for the city’s economy.
Absolutely lovely, we went and watched the parade took a picnic great seeing families and all the fun and love, every one speaking to each other.
Brighton does Pride well
So Pride is a family picnic now is it?
I’ve lived in Brighton for 24 years and it’s ALWAYS been a family picnic as part of the day.
I saw that repeated across the entirety of Preston park the 1st year I went and ever since. NOBODY is saying that that is what the event is for or focused on. Alex was saying that is what they’re family did on the day alongside many others.
You’ve either never been to the park on the day or you’re just being intentionally obtuse
I’ve been to the park thanks and dont’ need your input.
Surely even you can work out how fake people have been this weekend?
Pride is NOT family freindly. There were very very few families actually present, lots of drunk people and a smattering of people dressed really inappropriately.
I was out in town with young family. Could not get home until the parade was finished. Was stuck in town unable to cross the road.
We played spot the children. Out of the 100s/ thousands of people we saw we saw a grand total of three children.
This is not about families. It’s mostly students/ young people just getting drunk and having a good time, and homosexual people getting drunk and having a good time.
I’m not condoning this, am simply calling a spade a spade. though some ways for families to safely cross the crowds and path of the parade would be appreciated.
But the Parade still achieves nothing. Well, not unless you’re a big company advertising your products. Do you honestly think all those watching gave a toss about LGBTQ+ rights? It was just ‘ooh let’s take a photo’ and that’s all they cared about. As for the shops, it was just make a profit but not consider giving any money to Pride and helping some charities. Just remember, they wouldn’t be getting the big payday if it wasn’t for the event but the majority keep their profits.
It’s an incredibly positive experience for children and young adults, and I can say there were many of them having walked from Hove Lawns to Preston Park and back to the seafront during the procession, because they see a jubilant celebration of diversity not just by those in the procession itself but also by the thousands of families and folk who clap and cheer to show their support. It’s exactly what I could have done with as a closeted gay man in the 80s. I hope many yesterday who may be struggling to understand themselves drew confidence and courage from it to be who they are.
The youngsters know nothing about LGBT life, should be kept at home. Just a photo opportunity and oh look mummy.
This is life, always has been and always will be. You’re never going to change that. Might as well find some happiness in there somewhere.
There is something intrinsically British about ignoring all discrimination on favour for a piss up, whilst one or two people complain about it not being in the right spirit!
I read elsewhere that the police closed St James’s Street at around 4pm yesterday afternoon completely to traffic because of the crowds blocking the road.
They, Pride and the council were told this would happen months ago but ignored it.
B&H Buses had decided ages ago to divert from the get go because they knew the road would be blocked at some point.
At least 20 of my friends (as did I) left the city for the weekend. Pride has gotten roo big, too expensive and too straight.
Many of them that stayed ignored the Park entirely citing the cost and that that Maria Carey isn’t a big act for many LGBT people.
Pride needs to do some serious introspection about who and what the event is for. But they won’t as to be frank they don’t care what anyone else thinks.
The event is far too large and the council should call for it to be scaled back. For buses to be disrupted for so long during the day is disgraceful.
Yeah, I read that too. My opinion is that St James Street should have been closed off from the start. Assuming that people wouldn’t naturally go there, as they’ve done every Pride festival to date, was reckless.
It’s definitely changed over the years as an event, and I think it’s very reasonable when you say Pride needs to do some serious introspection about who and what the event is for. With the people it draws to the City, I think they already have the answer, for better or worse.
I last went to pride in 1996 and the park was free then with lots of families having picnics, lots of music but no one massively famous, and a line dancing tent with loads of guys with stetsons and big moustaches strutting their stuff. There were educational leaflets on stalls around safe sex and where to get help and advice and it was a fantastic vibe of love and inclusion. I went this year again 2025 and it’s so diffent. yes I’m a lot older now . Still that lovely vibe and love around and I loved the parade especially around the African protest still big problems there, and trans rights. But I won’t ever go back to the park. It was expensive to get tickets but the queue going in took 2.5 hrs and was a crushing crowd. I felt it was lucky there wasn’t a crushing injury or death it was so bad. One woman squatted in the crowd to pee as it took so long with no facilities. Then you can’t take in food or drink so you’re left to pay extortionate prices inside after joining queues again to do so. Queue again for the toilet which will be filthy with loads of toilet roll everywhere and no hand gel left. Mariah Carey had a wonderful voice and her dancers were fantastic but I wouldn’t put myself through such a commercialised experience again it’ll be parade only for me in future. If pride is to be inclusive then poorer people need access to events and really the price and crushing crowd is prohibitive.
All places are like that now
Not aloud to bring in any Food & Drink in and pay those silly Prices.
Just like Hyde Park when I saw Adele & Stevie Wonder. And yet we pay like £150 per ticket-and pay all that on Top
Pride as good as the Parade is from Hove Lawns it’s all commercial.
The day was good, hope today is the same (Sunday)
No need for a Sunday park event.
That noise yoiu hear are all the businesses counting the cash they made yesterday, the key reason they like this weekend. The noise you’ll hear tomorrow is all the rainbow flags and decorations the moneygrabbers put up being taken down.
I say ban pride, next time keep it to the Brighton center or the Concorde, keeps our streets clean and our kids innocent.
And watch the amounts raised for charity drop dramatically. Great idea mate.
Let’s also keep kids innocent from all the filthy heterosexuality polluting our streets on a daily basis.
Ashley, sorry to break it to you, acknowledging homosexuality exists doesn’t corrupt your children. Passive microaggressions like yours teaches them to become bigoted adults. Do better, for our children.
What a niightmare, no event should disrupt the city as Pride does.
The youngsters know nothing about LGBT life, should be kept at home. Just a photo opportunity and oh look mummy.
The youngsters don’t need to know the fearmongers and ostracisation that being LGBTQ was like in the past, because we’ve evolved beyond that as a society, for the most part, and for that, we should have pride.
It’s over thankfully, the rainbow flags can come down, no more need to pretend you support the LGBTQ community. Enjoy all the cash you’ve screwed out of people.
…or I’m not going to do any of that, and continue to treat people with dignity and respect, regardless of their walks of life, because I’m a reasonable and well-adjusted person.
How dare people take photos of the parade? How dare businesses decorate their windows with rainbows and flags to celebrate Pride and show their support for the LGBTQ+ community? How dare young people be educated on LGBTQ+ issues? How dare Brighton be so joyous and supportive that it celebrates Pride over a full weekend?
Imagine being as sad and lonely as someone like Stephen Ashfield. Who hurt you so badly?
Leave the personal abuse out of this. Does this site not have moderators?
Ah, the Stephen Ashfield Masterclass: spend a week calling strangers idiots, fakes, and ignorant…then clutch your pearls the moment someone replies in kind. Truly, a pioneer in the field of selective outrage.
“Who hurt you so badly?” – People like YOU