Brighton Pride 2022

2022 saw Brighton & Hove celebrate 30 years of Pride parades from Hove Lawns right through the city and finish with some spectacular shows in Preston Park. Headliners over the years have included Alexandra Burke, Paloma Faith, The Human League, Sister Sledge, Pet Shop Boys, Britney Spears and Kylie Minogue. This year saw Christina Aguilera topping the bill, accompanied by a return of Paloma Faith, Ella Henderson and a refined performance by the elegant Sophie Ellis Bextor.

Things have come on in leaps and bounds over the past 30 years and it is only fair to point out that the gay community in Brighton have played their cards right.

Change is good, change is profitable, change works and is expected in our modern society of today, it’s also nice to get a bit of change in your pocket when you lay out for things you cherish and hunger for. Admittedly, some businesses make a killing at this time of year and, as the programme says, it’s all down to ‘Location, Location, Location’, and certain establishments take a bit of a liberty, but hey –ho, this is Brighton after all and we have been known to strong it on occasion!

Brighton & Hove Pride first hit the streets some 50 years ago, but that was more by way of a protest, by The Sussex Gay Liberation Front, followed up in ‘73 by a full pride march in July of that year.

Pride returned to the city in 1991. The following year, unfortunately, the event suffered some obvious mis-management, which can only be as a result of a ‘them and us’ attitude on the part of the organisers who were clearly major players on the gay scene and community.

This is surely no longer the case and everyone now works alongside one another to deliver what is undoubtedly the biggest and best celebration of the LGBTQ+ community in the UK. Other towns and cities have followed suit but Brighton stands alone when it comes to this kind of spectacle. It’s true that thousands and thousands make their way to the city for the long weekend of events, but the core values and colourful characters that make this the most spectacular day of the year, mostly hail from the local vicinity.

Brighton has an abundance of talent, and on this special weekend everyone comes out of their comfort zones and into the brilliant sunshine on this most fantastic occasion. Covid -19 upset the apple cart for the last couple of years but everyone bounced back with even more vigour and colour than ever before.

The atmosphere is electric throughout the whole city and once the parade starts, thousands of people line the streets to cheer on all the participants.

With a plethora of local talent which includes some of the best drag acts in the country, any and all visitors to the city have plenty of entertainment morning, noon and night.

Words by Stevie Martin