Brighton Pride is arguably the biggest event in the gay calendar, giving you all of those proud feels dancing about town. This year more than ever, Brighton is jam-packed with a whole bunch of events, performances, nights and dances. It’s getting harder and harder to keep up with what exactly’s going on. Just looking into the weekend can leave you spring yourself head-to-toeDon’t worry darlings, QX is here to break it down for you. This is all you need to know about Brighton Pride 2018.
Brighton Pride Festival on Preston Park Saturday, 4th August
This turned out to be the year’s hottest ticket. The promise of Britney drove the gays mad, and a pass to Preston Park were rarer than golden tickets to Willy Wonka’s factory. As revellers flood into Brighton from around the world to party alongside city residents, Preston Park is transformed into a paradisiacal playground of performance and dance tents, a wellbeing field, and a bevy of the finest food and drink options to keep you fuelled throughout the day. This is sure to be utter insanity, with a range of performers taking to the stage throughout the day. Taking to the stage last is the one and only Mz Britney Spears who will be singing all of her hits on a stop-off from her Piece of Me tour to give all the gays of Brighton Pride heart palpetations. 12.30pm – 10.30pm, Preston Park.
QueerTown
If the main stage is a little too main stream for you, they’ve got you covered. QueerTown is a new boutique area and part of the Pride Festival on Preston Park featuring a QueerTown Stage curated by artist Paul Diello with top notch live music, cabaret, comedy, burlesque and performance art. Highlights include Britain’s Got Talent’s Lorraine Bowen, X Factor’s Ginny Lemon and award winning Drag Prince Alfie Ordinary. Chow down at the street food village and enjoy the entertainment at the popular Trans Tent, QueerTown promises to be a community haven at the north end of the Park.
Community Village
It’s easy to forget exactly what pride’s about. Between all the partying and well, Britney, it’s good to take an interest in the people working hard to support members of the community. At the southern most tip of Preston Park, the Community Village is key to the all our celebrations, reminding us of the true nature of Pride as it enables the community to connect, engage and support LGBT+ organisations, supporters and charities. A reflection of the true diversity of our lives, the Pride Community Village encompasses everything that is wonderful, creative and supportive about LGBT+ life in the UK and beyond and is where you will find charity and community stalls, the Family Diversity Area, Trans Tent, Well Being Tent, NA Meeting Tent, Rotunda Ballroom and much more. Our community at the very heart of our Pride. Just as it should be.
Love BN1 Fest Sunday, 5th August
If the Saturday festivities at Preston Park has left you wanting more of the festival vibe, well why not do it all again on Sunday? LoveBN1Fest will celebrate everything Brighton and Hove and bring all our communities and Rainbow families together for an afternoon of fun on the park. Featuring main stage artists Jess Glynne, Gabrielle, Ariana and the Rose, loads of family friendly entertainment, circus skills, performance artists, cabaret, dance tents and Street food village. Pride aims to raise extra funds from LoveBN1Fest to deliver positive social impact back to Brighton and Hove communitiesthrough the Social Impact Fund. 1:30pm – 9:30pm, Preston Park Brighton. Tickets are selling quick so grab them while you can!
CLICK HERE to grab your tickets.
Village Party Saturday and Sunday, 4th/5th August
The Pride Village Party in Brighton’s famous Kemptown is a two-day festive fairground of fabulousness at the heart of the city, filled with partying of the Pride kind. The 2018 Pride Village Party will once again saw the city’s iconic seafront closed to traffic as thousands of Pride-goers came together for a unforgettable weekend of fundraising celebrations. Get ready for entertainment zones, bars and venues, live performances and cabaret made for a Miami Beach style weekend that delivered non-stop sunshine as DJs, drag artists, singers, performers, musicians and party-goers combined to mark a truly magnificent event.
Pride Village Party, St James’s Street & Marine Parade. Wristbands are available from the Pride Box Office on Victoria Gardens.
The Pride Community Parade Saturday, 4th August
What would Pride be without a parade, ey? One of the biggest and brightest events in Brighton & Hove’s diary, with over 300,000 people pouring out into the city’s streets to participate in and watch on as an all-singing, all-dancing carnival of colour wends its way from the seafront to the festival site. Flamboyant, vibrant and colourful, the Brighton & Hove Pride Parade is a show-stopping spectacle not to be missed. With ‘Colour my World’ announced as this year’s theme, the parade promises to take on an eye-poppingly technicolour hue, so be sure to find yourself a good spot on the packed pavements from which to watch as the spectacle goes by. The music, floats, bands, costumes and dancing – the parade also carries the message of love. It’s happening all over Hove Lawns.
Pride Pleasure Gardens
It’s like the fun little sister to Brighton Pride, the perfect place to hang out if you’re too cool to function. For the third year running, Pride Pleasure Gardens return for a weekend of enchanting entertainment in the heart of our city. A celebration of our diverse and glorious community, it’ll see the Old Steine transformed into a unique Pride experience for three days and nights of fierce fun, saucy wonders, camp pop, stunning cabaret, sensational live performances, cool DJs, hot clubbing and a Queer TakeOver. (For Queer TakeOver tickets CLICK HERE). The Pride Pleasure Gardens’ Club Tropicana on Old Steine will be fizzing with fabulousness as PECS, the binary-bending all-singing, all dancing drag king collective open proceedings. (For PECS tickets CLICK HERE). Saturday will see the return of the universally acclaimed self declared chaos of alt.drag superstars Sink The Pink present Ta’Dah! (For STP tickets CLICK HERE) A freaky camptastic, high octane romp through 12 high energy, hair flicking performances! And Sunday sees the weekend round off as East London’s coolest alternative cabaret mecca The Glory serves up Wild, Wild, West realness with the campest, most spectacular BIG GAY BARN DANCE Brighton has ever seen! (For The Glory tickets CLICK HERE) Loads of free entertainment acorss the weekend.
Friday Night Parties 3rd August
Pride Goes Pop 10pm – 2am
Pride Pleasure Gardens, Old Steine, Brighton.
Galamour-tastic explosion of pop and commercial dance music, he most fashionable Transvestite club in London! Official Pre-Pride Warm up party with Bombshell and DJ Lady Lloyd. Inviting you to dress up and let your hair down to the best party tunes in town – drag Queens, Drag Kings, Club Kids, live shows and more. Free entry before 11pm.
‘Glitter’ Pre-Pride Party 8pm – 4am
Legends Bar & The Basement Club, 31-34 Marine Parade, Brighton. BN2 1TR.
With resident DJ David Noakes (Gaydio – Capital Fm) & guest Mak (Moo Moo Club Rooms) on the decks playing a great big bunch of dance, pop and party tracks over two floors, spilling out onto the Legends terrace for a night-time terrace party.Entry: £5 on the door.
OHSO Social 8pm – 3am
OHSO Social, 250a Kings Rd, Brighton BN1 1NB
Start your Pride festivities on Brighton Beach on FRIDAY 3RD AUGUST at OHSO SOCIAL.
This venue boasts the best views on Brighton beach. With a terrace that holds more than 500 people, you can party well into the morning with views of the Palace Pier, i360 and the West Pier. Inside we have a bar serving cocktails, draft and craft beers and various spirits and mixers, we even have a large selection of Gins to choose from. With all of this, and so much more, you won’t want to miss this Pride party! If you pop down before 11pm, you will even be guaranteed Queue-Jump entry!We’ve got some incredible entertainment lined up, including LIVE VOCALS from long-time FREEMASONS collaborator AMANDA WILSON.
Saturday Night Parties 4th August
Horse Meat Disco 10pm – 4am
Patterns, 10 Marine Parade, Brighton. BN2 1TL.
The world famous international clubbing brand Horse Meat Disco returns to Brighton this Pride weekend for a Saturday night session destined to impress. Dedicated to the industry of human happiness, Horse Meat Disco have been pumping out their spectacular disco behemoth of classics, Italo disco, house, oddities and punk funk across the globe since 2002 and promise us another Pride night to remember as DJs Severino, Luke Howard and guests get set to strut their sequinned stuff all night long. Nobody parties like Horse Meat Disco party and no party at Pride will be as sensational or as glitter-filled as Horse Meat Disco. Tickets sold out.
Official Pride Terrace Party 6pm – 5am
Legends & The Basement Club, 31-34 Marine Parade, Brighton. BN2 1TR.
Legends official Pride after party returns bigger than ever with 4 djs, across 2 floors, open till very late. DJ Claire Fuller (Golden Handbags favourite DJ 2018), long-time resident Peter Castle (Legends/Zinc), David Noakes (Gaydio – Capital Fm)) & guest Mak (Moo Moo Club Rooms) will be rocking the house across two floors. In the subterranean Basement Club, the gorgeous award winning Legends Bar and the sun kissed (it’s August, so it should be!) seafront terrace with a mix of classic & current dance, pop, and RnB tracks.
The party starts just at 6pm, going on till dawn… Entry: £5 on the door.
OHSO Social 9pm – 4am
OHSO Social, 250a Kings Rd, Brighton. BN1 1NB.
Celebrate Brighton Pride right on the beach. An INCREDIBLE live Saxophone player will be partnering up with our DJs to give you a show unlike any other this PRIDE, complete with an amazing LIGHTING SHOW and LIVE dancers. With views of the Palace Pier, i360 and the West Pier it’s certainly a view to beat whilst you party on the beach at Pride. You won’t want to miss out! DJs, Drinks & the beach. Party with us on our outdoor terrace which can hold more than 500 people. Get your drinks at our inside bar; draft and craft beers, cocktails and plenty of spirits and mixers to choose from. If you pop down before 11pm, you’ll be guaranteed Queue-Jump entry!
Sunday Night Parties 5th August
Sunday Sundae 3pm-3am
Patterns, 10 Marine Parade, Brighton. BN2 1TL.
Yes Brighton’s sexiest Sunday party returns on August the 5th for a session set to rock our city as we celebrate Brighton Pride in the heart of the Pride Village Party. Expect nothing by smiles and sunshine (whatever the weather) as this infamous terrace party delivers 12 hours of non-stop Miami style clubbing by the seaside. Sunday Sundae is the original gay tea dance you need to taste to believe. Returning to Patterns, Brighton’s glamorous seafront art deco venue, Sunday Sundae is your first stop for sexy alfresco terrace partying and cool underground clubbing and is a guaranteed roadblock event, utterly fabulous and always hot, hot, hot. (For your Sunday Sundae tickets CLICK HERE).
Legends Rainbow Fund Non-Stop Cabaret Fund-raiser 3pm – Late
Legends Bar, 31-34 Marine Parade, Brighton. BN2 1TR.
Part of Legends Pride terrace parties, the Rainbow Fund Non-Stop Cabaret Fund-raiser helps raise funds every year for The Rainbow Fund enabling them to support local LGBT+ charities and organisations. With 20 top acts throughout the day there is no better place to grab a slice of the finest cabaret entertainment around. Hosting duties are ably handled by Brighton’s own Lola Lasagne. As part of the Pride Street party, better get there early for a space on the terrace. Entry: Donation required.
Pop!Candy – Pride Edition 10pm – 4am
The Basement Club, 31-34 Marine Parade, Brighton. BN2 1TR.
Now in it’s 8th year Pop!Candy has become a Brighton institution. The Basement Club’s longest running night is the official Brighton Sunday fun day! This is sugar coated pure pop for those who love their clubbing served with a generous dollop of cheese. With two DJs; resident DJ Claire Fuller (Golden Handbags favourite DJ 2018) & guest will be playing your favourite pop tracks at one last Pride party. Dance the night away! Entry: free
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