Pride in Brighton: Parade, Dates, Events

Tommy Buckley

19.05.23

7 minute read

Brighton has a rich LGBTQIA+ history, playing a significant role in the fight for LGBTQIA+ rights and fostering a vibrant queer community. From the early days of activism to today, hosting the UK's largest Pride festival, Brighton has been a beacon of inclusivity, acceptance, and celebration of LGBTQ identities. If you’re considering heading to Brighton Pride, this is the guide for you.

We’ll walk through Brighton pride events on offer, and the Brighton pride dates to put in the diary. Plus we’ll look at how using your Wise card during Pride can be handy, safe and convenient.

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When is Brighton Pride?

Brighton Pride 2024 is in August 2024. As well as the official Brighton Pride events including the Pride parade and Pride village, there are also Pride supporting events which are put on by partner organisations, and which also raise money for Pride charities and causes.

We’ll cover the major Brighton Pride events that have been announced so far in this guide - plus you can get all the latest, as well as a live countdown, over on the Brighton Pride official website.

Where does the Brighton parade start?

The Brighton Pride community parade is on Saturday 5th August². Over 300,000 people are expected to attend the event, which has a theme of Love - Protest - Unity. Groups including charities, community groups, the emergency services, NHS and small businesses are all taking part, with an all singing, all dancing lineup promised.

The Brighton Pride Parade route runs from Hove Lawns to Preston Park, where the official Brighton & Hove Pride charity fundraiser We Are Fabuloso is being held.

Pride Events in Brighton Pride 2024

If you’re headed to Brighton Pridein 2024 you’ve got a packed few days to look forward to. Let’s run through the events that have been announced and that are expected so far.

Official Brighton Pride Event

The official Brighton Pride event includes over 170 artists and 12 different stages and entertainment venues. The cornerstone of the events are the parade and then the Fabuloso Pride in the Park event, which is hosted at the end of the parade - but the fun goes on all weekend, so if you’re planning to attend you might want to stay for more than just the parade day.

As the pride party will go on late into the night, with significant crowds expected, the organisers recommend that you plan your travel in advance³. Options include train, coach, bus and taxi - but there will be significant road closures to facilitate the event, so it’s worth getting everything planned out before you head over to Brighton on the day, to make sure you don’t get stuck. There’s a bus service running from the Pride campsite⁴ to the event locations, so if you want to stay in the city for the whole weekend you can easily do that, too.

Fabuloso Pride in the park

Fabuloso Pride in the Park⁵ is the official fundraising event for Brighton Pride. There’s an impressive lineup of 150+ LGBTQIA+ artists and allies, across live stages and music tents, all in Preston Park, Brighton.

You can buy tickets for a single day or for the whole weekend, with a variety of different ticket types and price points. To enter the event you’ll need to switch your ticket for a wristband for security reasons.

Pride Village Party

The weekend of the 5th and 6th August sees Kemptown transformed into the Pride Village⁶, with entertainment areas, performances and live music. You’ll need to buy a ticket to enter the area⁷, and some venues may also have their own entry fees - but as Pride is a not for profit, you’ll know your money is being used for good causes.

Pride Dog Show

At the time of writing the date of the Pride Community Day and Dog show⁸ has not yet been announced. However, the event is expected to run in the afternoon, over in Preston Park, with the dog show across numerous categories, retail stores and entertainment. If the weather isn’t up to it - or if it’s too hot on the day - the event may be postponed to keep humans and animals alike safe.

LGBTQIA+ Bars Brighton

Brighton’s queer hotspot Kemptown is a great spot to find many LGBTQIA+ bars, restaurants and venues - so you’ll be spoiled for choice if you’re looking for a good place to eat, drink and relax. We’ll pick out a few bars and restaurants for you to consider, next.

Club Revenge

Brighton's biggest LGBTQIA+ club, Club Revenge⁹ is open Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 10:30pm, with live music, karaoke, shows and more. There’s also their sister site, R-Bar if you’re looking for a place to start the evening, opposite the pier, and open 7 days a week.

The Queens Arms

The Queens Arms, on George Street, is a gay friendly cabaret venue with shows, drag performances and regular events to enjoy. Open daily, from early evening right through to the early hours of the morning.

Affinity Bar

In Kemptown, Affinity bar¹⁰ is a popular venue, which is open from midday to midnight daily. It’s close to the pier, in the heart of the action, and has a loyal customer base who always come back.

Recommended Restaurants Brighton

Time for dinner? You’re well served in Brighton, with a range of food options for every taste and budget. Here are a few of our top picks, to keep you fueled up all Pride weekend long.

Indian Summer

Award winning Indian restaurant, located in Brighton’s iconic lanes - what more could you want? Check out Indian Summer¹¹, which has been feeding the people of Brighton and beyond for over 20 years. Dine in and take out available, including a 35 GBP/head sharing menu if you’re heading over there with a party of 8 or more.

Las Iguanas

If Mexican is more your thing, Las Iguanas¹² could be the answer, with contemporary Mexican food and drinks in a funky environment. There’s a good range of options for vegetarians and vegans, plus happy hour drinks. Looking for a place to get the party started? Try the bottomless brunch, which is available every day, right up into the evening if you’re a night owl.

Ephesus Brighton

Ephesus¹³ offers classic Turkish cuisine, including meze platters and full meals, which means there’s something to suit every appetite.Meze platters run from 15.95 GBP to around 40 GBP, depending on the size - plus there are sharing kebab and meat plates for 2 or more people.

Proud Cabaret - Drag Brunch

Enjoy an hour of bottomless cocktails, followed by brunch and an all singing all dancing drag show at Proud Caberet’s drag brunch¹⁴. If you’re there on a Sunday you can even get a traditional British Sunday roast dinner. Premium tickets from 69 GBP, other package options also available.

Bar Broadway - Drag Brunch

Check out the Broadway drag brunch¹⁵ as Brighton’s only Broadway themed drag event. Shows feature west end stars, singing, dancing, comedy and more. Packages - which all include the show, food and drink - from 35 GBP to 55 GBP depending on the range of drinks you’d prefer.

Public Transport in Brighton

For getting around in Brighton you’ll be able to walk, take a taxi or grab a bus¹⁶. Don’t forget that there will be road closures over Pride weekend, which may affect services. You can plan your journey by bus pretty easily using the journey planner on te Brighton and Hove bus website¹⁷, and once you’re in the city centre you’ll find Brighton to be a remarkable walkable place. Just take a stroll and soak in the Pride atmosphere if you have time.

Preston Park - where the Fabuloso event takes place - is about a 20 minute walk from the main Brighton train station, or about a 35 minute walk from the pier. There are also many Pride specific services being laid on to get people from event venues smoothly - look out for more information closer to the time, on the Brighton Pride website.

What else to do in Brighton

Looking for more things to do while you’re in Brighton? There’s plenty of opportunity for strolling the Lanes and looking in some of the boutique stores there, plus a whole host of coffee shops when you need to take the weight off. Just a few minutes walk from the pier, the Lanes area is a knot of narrow streets famous for quirky stores and a fun atmosphere. Well worth a look if you’re after a souvenir of your stay.

If you’ve got a head for heights you might want to check out the Brighton i360¹⁸, which is a viewing pod, 138 metres above ground, offering perfect views of the beach and city. Want to learn more about what makes Brighton unique while you’re there? You can also join various walking tours, including the Piers and Queers tour¹⁹ which covers Brightons LGBTQIA+ history as you see the sights.

Using Wise During Pride

Whether you’re coming from overseas to enjoy Brighton Pride, or you’re a local planning a fun day out, spend safely with the Wise card.

Wise accounts can hold 40+ currencies, with a linked card to spend in 160 countries - plus, as the Wise card is fully compatible with mobile wallets like Google Pay and Apple Pay, you can leave the physical card at home and just tap and pay wherever you are. Here’s a quick look at some of the other key features of Wise:

Hold and exchange 40+ currencies with the mid-market exchange rate
Manage your money and your card from your phone
Spend globally with the Wise card, and get paid in 10 currencies right to your account
Currency exchange and international payments to 80+ countries, from 0.41%

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So there you have it, your full guide to the Brighton Pride plans so far. Whether you’re headed out for the entire weekend of fun, or planning on popping in for the parade only, Wise has you covered, with a low cost debit card you can manage entirely from your phone. Simply add your Wise card to your favourite mobile wallet to tap and pay - plus you can freeze, unfreeze and cancel your card, and generate virtual cards, using the Wise app. Don’t let a lost card dampen your celebrations - get Wise instead.

Sources used:

Sources last checked: 10.05.23

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