Thousands gather for annual parade

Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to flock to Brighton this weekend for the city’s annual pride celebrations.

Visitors from across the country will descend on Brighton seafront on Saturday for the parade, beginning at Hove Lawns and ending in the city’s Preston Park, where Pride on the Park will take place.

Mariah Carey is to headline the first night of the event, while the Sugababes will close out the show on Sunday evening.

Paul Kemp, managing director of Brighton Pride, told BBC Radio Sussex: “We are really, really excited – Pride really puts our city on the map.”

He added: “Brighton is an events city and, although sometimes there is some disruption, the value of these events is part of our reputation.”

Other events planned throughout the weekend include the Pride Street Party, which this year moves from St James’ Street to Marine Parade.

Ticket sales raise funds for LGBTQ+ charities and causes across the country, which will be distributed through the Pride Community Foundation.

The community parade, with the theme “ravishing rage”, will see local community groups and LGBTQ+ organisations marching through the city.

The march will begin at Hove Lawns before travelling through the city centre.

John McPherson, chairman of the Brighton Gay Men’s Chorus, who have a float in the parade, said: “Pride this year is very important to us, particularly for our trans members. The theme for our float this year will be about trans pride.

“We will be having an amazing banner that our members have worked on, which I think will make a really dramatic statement in the parade.

“We’ve always seen queer joy as activism and as a celebration of our authentic selves.”

Large sections of the city including London Road, Preston Road and the A259 Kings Road will be closed throughout Saturday.

Train services are also expected to be busier than usual, with more trains and extra carriages running to try and match demand.

Preston Park and London Road train stations will be closed all weekend.

About 300,000 people are expected to attend Brighton Pride across the weekend, similar to the crowds the city saw in 2024.