160,000 come together to celebrate Brighton Pride

Brighton came out in full force


This weekend marks the 25th anniversary of the annual pride parade in Brighton, and Saturday’s celebrations did not disappoint.

Performers, activists, charities, uni societies, and even big-name brands like Nando’s and Tesco were out in full force. The streets were lined with dancers and drag-queens, and the atmosphere was buzzing.

The famous parade was 90 minutes late to set off due to police investigating a suspicious package.

The police, who found the package in the seafront area, detonated the contents in a controlled explosion at a safe distance from the public. This setback didn’t seem to put off visitors. People were climbing onto friends, partners, and bus stops to get a better view of the parade.

The parade followed a route around Western road, despite original plans for a high profile route which included the seafront, but that didn’t put a dampener on the mood.

After the parade, the music scene in Brighton came alive on Saturday night, with performers including Ella Henderson, Ruby Rose, and Fatboy Slim.

Speaking to the BBC, Paul Kemp, the director of Pride Brighton, said: “It’s a celebration and it brings in a lot of people from all over the world.

“Economically, it’s very good for the city and brings in £3.5m.

“Behind the celebrations it highlights LGBT campaigns all over the world. There’s a long way to go globally to bring about equality.”

Here are some of our favorite people of pride: