There are weekends in Brighton, and then there is the first weekend of August. Brighton & Hove Pride, supported by Hayu, returns on 1st and 2nd August for its 35th birthday under the theme The Power of Love, and if last time you visited Brighton it seemed lively, wait until you see it wearing its party outfit. The whole city leans in: by Friday evening the bunting is up, the glitter is out, and everyone from the station to the seafront appears to have collectively decided that joy is compulsory.
The heart of it all is the LGBTQ+ Community Parade, which launches the weekend from Hove Lawns on the Saturday morning, kicking off at 11am. More than 125 groups take part, and the theme of protest, unity, freedom, love and joy is not just branding; this remains a celebration with a spine. The route runs along the seafront before turning up West Street, continuing on to Queens Road, then down North Road and winding towards London Road before finishing at Preston Park. It is free to watch, gloriously loud, and my advice is to pick your spot early, because half of Sussex has the same idea.
Then there is Pride On The Park, the ticketed festival at Preston Park, with gates opening at midday on both days. This year’s line-up is frankly showing off. Global icon Diana Ross. RAYE. Frankie Goes To Hollywood’s Holly Johnson. Jessie J, Self Esteem, Leigh-Anne, and Spice Girl Melanie C, who regular readers will know is in imperious form at the moment. Glittering in the 2026 Icons slot are RuPaul and Paris Hilton, a sentence I enjoyed typing more than I can say.
If the main stage sets the pulse, the dance arena raises it. State of Us hosts DJs across the weekend, with Purple Disco Machine headlining Saturday with his nu-disco and funk-fuelled rhythms, and Armand Van Helden closing Sunday with house classics and timeless club grooves. The Blessed Madonna, HAAi, Daniel Avery, Girls Don’t Sync and I Jordan are all on the bill too, and the organisers are right when they say that wherever you are in the park, you somehow always end up at the dance arena. Nobody has ever adequately explained this. It just happens.
Beyond the big stages, the park sprawls with immersive spaces: Legends Cabaret, The Cocoa Butter Club, Queer Town and Party Bag return, joined by 2026 newcomers Bears In The Woods, Queer Soap Box and Outro, plus family zones for those doing Pride with small people in tow. You could spend the whole weekend without seeing a headliner and still go home hoarse.
Back in town, the Street Party in Kemptown returns to Marine Parade, showcasing Brighton’s queer venues with a line-up including Gok Wan, Bimini, Freemasons, Bailey J Mills and Woody Cook across a variety of stages, cabaret, music zones and bars. This is the bit that feels most like Brighton distilled: chaotic, warm, and impossible to leave when you said you would.
And it all means something beyond the sequins. Pride has raised over £1.5 million for local good causes through the Pride Social Impact Fund, the Pride Cultural Development Fund and the Pride Solidarity Fund, with grants going to a range of local groups. Your ticket is a donation with a very good soundtrack.
Now, some words to the wise, earned the hard way. Do not attempt to sneak into the street festival around St James’s Street. Yes, it looks like you can slip down a side road. You cannot. It is well managed, the stewards have seen every trick you are about to try, and you will simply arrive back where you started, sweatier and less dignified. Do not relieve yourself in the streets or, heaven forbid, on somebody’s front steps; there are police everywhere and they will collar you, and no anecdote is worth that phone call home. And do not buy drugs from random street sellers. Whatever you think you are buying, it is probably not what you think it is, and Pride is quite capable of altering your consciousness unassisted.
As for where to be: hang near the seafront. There is loads going on down there, with plenty of bars and clubs, sea air to keep you upright, and the best people-watching in England. Preston Park, on the other hand, is best avoided if you do not have a day ticket; without one you are essentially loitering near a party you cannot get into, which is nobody’s idea of fun. With a ticket, obviously, it is the centre of the universe.
If you are travelling down from London, one last tip. Every pub and restaurant from the station down to the park or the seafront is welcoming, decked out and full of pride and joy, so show your support and mix it up a bit rather than beelining for the obvious spots. The Power of Love is the theme, but the real magic of Brighton Pride is that for one weekend the entire city means it. Happy 35th, Brighton. Wear sunscreen.
Brighton & Hove Pride, 1st and 2nd August 2026. Tickets and full details at brighton-pride.org
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