The organisers of the Pride Village Party say internet rumours it has been cancelled are not true.
An internal council document posted on Facebook by Tory councillor Ivan Lyons showed the event on Saturday, July 31 and Sunday, August 1 next year as cancelled.
But Brighton and Hove City Council says this was an error – and Pride says plans have not yet been finalised.
Cabinet member for culture David McGregor said: “The document shared on social media is a draft of the city’s events programme for 2027 and should not have been shared publicly. The programme won’t be finalised until late November.
“We acknowledge that errors in the draft document have caused confusion and upset.
“No events have been cancelled. At this stage of the planning, no application has been made to host a street party event in Kemp Town, but that does not mean there will be no activity there in 2027.
“The council is continuing to work closely with Pride CIC and other partners to make plans for next summer.
“Pride is an integral part of our city; it’s immensely important for the community and one of the biggest weekends of the year for our economy.”
Managing director of Brighton Pride Paul Kemp said: “We have not confirmed any plans for Pride 2027.
“As is standard practice, we have been in discussion with the council about options for use of council land which the council holds landlord rights for.
“No details for 2027 Pride events have been agreed at this point.
“We were not made aware of the council plans to share their draft event list for 2027 and will be seeking clarification about the details.”
The event was originally a spontaneous gathering of crowds in St James’s Street around established gay venues on the Sunday of Pride weekend.
But by 2012, the streets were becoming so dangerously overcrowded, there were fears the crush would see shopfronts stoved in.
The next year, the neighbourhood was cordoned off and tickets were sold to control numbers. For a few years, the event either made money or broke even, but by 2024, it was losing money – with Pride organisers in part blaming residents selling their free tickets online for a discount.
Meanwhile, some residents strongly objected to having to make arrangements to get tickets in order to get to their own homes during the weekend – and tougher anti-terror regulations for events also made staging it in St James’s Street increasingly difficult.
Last year, the event was moved to Marine Parade. But at a resident feedback meeting held last month, council and Pride bosses agreed this had been a mistake.
Pride chairman Paul Kemp said there was going to be a rethink as to how and where the event should be held, while Brighton and Hove City Council’s outdoor events development manager Ian Baird said it would be challenge to come up with a workable solution.
Mr Baird told the meeting on October 5: “We need to work out what we can put into St James’s Street that creates a party but not where you end up with a dangerous amount of people.”
Managers of some of the area’s LGBTQ+ venues who attended that meeting were also keen for it to return to St James’s Street – but said it was also important to return ownership to the community.
There was agreement the demographic of the weekend had shifted in recent years, with daytrippers from London – often straight young people – making up a far larger proportion of revellers.
Meanwhile, surge pricing for hotels and Airbnbs as a result of the Nick Cave gig held in Preston Park on the Friday meant many people who came to Pride on the Saturday could not afford to stay for the Sunday, leading to a huge drop in numbers.
The Nick Cave gig was organised by two of the non-LGBTQ+ promoters, Louder Entertainment and Joy Entertainment Group Ltd, who are now co-owners of BN1 Events Collective, the company which organises the main Pride event in Preston Park. Pride’s managing director Paul Kemp is the third owner listed on Companies House.
Louder Entertainment, which also organises On the Beach, is now majority owned by Live Nation (UK) Ltd, a subsidiary of the US-based Live Nation Entertainment.
Joy Entertainment is a subsidiary of the publicly listed ATC Music Group which also owns Concorde 2 and the Volks nightclub.
Cllr Lie-ons regularly posts misinformation or selective half-truths in order to self publicise himself and his dwindling band on Tories.
He has probably breached council rules again and I suspect takes pride in this.
Fortunately most people see through him and his toxicity.
Let’s reduce the Tories by one more in May 2027.
Cllr Lyons was correct in publishing the list of proposed events to enable affected tax paying residents a right to offer feedback.
Cllr McWeeGregor might be miffed but he must learn that he can’t deny residents a say in how their money is spent and how their land is used & commercially abused !
The Outdoor Events team need to understand that they are paid for and work for residents.
Cllr. Lyons actions seemingly puts out incorrect or selective information quite a lot. Does he do this often?
I love pride. It gives me a great excuse for a short holiday out of town every year. Saves on those arguments with security to walk in my street.
Great living in Hove
Just check the date because the leaked information may have it wrong as it’s usually the first Saturday in August.
Tory Lyons desperately publishing confidential unfinished council details really show how desperately relevant he’s trying to be. His social media posts reek of daily mail type failed incitements trying to generate anger over minor things. I thought the Tories were all about business, not undermining revenue for the council he actually works on behalf of which benefit the city we live in. Remember how my mortgage went up under the Truss / Kwarteng fiasco budget, this guy is made from the same embarrassing mould. Sad that that part of the city votes in such an innefectual 70s throwback