It’s almost here, one of the best weekends in the year – yes, it’s Brighton & Hove Pride! No shade, but we all know Brighton throws the best Pride celebration in the world. Are you ready for a sparkly weekend of love, fundraising and celebration 50+ years on from the Stonewall riots that changed gay history? We sure as hell are.

A spot of history

But did you know why Brighton is so famous for our particularly diverse, vibrant and inclusive celebrations? The city has a long history of being a welcoming and accepting place for the LGBTQ+ community. Brighton’s been a hub for LGBTQ+ activism and culture since the 19th century. In fact, it was one of the first cities in the UK to have a gay pub, and hosted one of the first LGBTQ+ Pride events in the UK, with its first official Pride march taking place in 1973.

We’re also a pioneering city for healthcare, too. The Sussex Beacon, a local charity, became the first AIDS hospice in the country, offering care and compassion during the early days of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. That spirit of unity, support and defiance against discrimination still runs deep in our city and is one of the many reasons we’re so proud to live here.

Brief history lesson over, read on for some of the best Pride events to take you through the weekend.

We know music is the food of love (thanks, Shakespeare) and Pride is all about love, so we’d recommend getting in the mood with a party-starting Pride playlist and 201 Dance Company’s fabulous Pride protest video.

When you’re out and about, look out for Brighton landmarks, like the Royal Pavilion and The Grand hotel, getting their rainbow on for the weekend!

Fuel the party – Saturday

The easiest option is to book yourself a parade-adjacent brunch spot – check these ones out.

But if you’d rather wander around, start your day off right at the Bedford Tavern with their popular pre-Parade breakfast of bubbly and bacon baps – they’re throwing the doors open at 10am.

Or visit The Grosvenor Bar – they’re kicking Saturday off at 10am with their famous pre-parade bacon roll and mimosa breakfast

Fill your boots at Med who, in line with their move to a taqueria for the next few months, will be serving up BBQ tacos, margaritas and cold beers from their courtyard.

Or, pick up some Proud dogs with rainbow slaw, Bloody Marys and mimosas from Babble on Hove seafront (from 10am; Saturday and Sunday).  

Kitgum Kitchen on Preston Road (on the last stretch of the route to the park) will have takeaway curry-loaded fries, watermelon, beers and cocktails. They’re also offering a space to have a breather if it’s all feeling a bit overwhelming outside.

Curio, nearby on the corner of Clyde Road, have got a sausage party going on. No really, they’ll be serving up hot dogs, wine on top and takeaway cocktails from 11am (and they’re back with hangover-cure sarnies, buns and Bloody Marys on the Sunday, too).

Over on Lewes Road, head to one of our favourite – and possibly smallest – coffee shops No.13 Coffee for an excellent cup of Joe, some camp tunes and glitter and face paints galore. They’ll also be selling a mighty selection of Pride baked goods and milkshakes, all to raise money for LGBTQ+ children’s charity All Sorts Youth.

Consider yourself fuelled!

Where to get your glitter on

Feeling a tad bare of face? If you don’t go to No.13 Coffee and still fancy getting your sparkle on, Velvet on Church Road in Hove is offering a glittery makeover from 9.30am in exchange for a £3 donation (proceeds to Pride Community Foundation).

And if you’re anywhere near the i360, you might want to strike a pose at the pop-up Brighton Pride photobooth ‘Chosen Fam Cam’. You’ll get a digital image for totally free. It’s open Saturday and Sunday 11am – 6pm.

Where to watch the parade

This year’s theme is Ravishing Rage, highlighting the LGBTQ+ community’s powerful energy and acknowledging that Pride is still a protest as well as a celebration.

It all kicks off at 11am officially, but it’s often closer to midday by the time things get moving – we’d recommend finding a spot early though if you want to be sure of the best view. You can see the parade route here.

If you’re not watching it over breakfast or brunch [check these ones out], then The Joker‘s front terrace on Preston Road is one of the best places to see the Parade on its last run into Preston Park. And now they’ve got that roof terrace, there’s even more parade-viewing space. Come for the parade – and the dedicated margarita bar – and stay for the always-killer party (11am – 3am). (And come back Sunday for Lost Boys Land hangover-busting food.)

Or, head down to Hove Lawns for a more chilled (and family-friendlier) place to watch the approach into the city. Or park your bum at one of the beachfront hotels for a perfect parade-watching spot.

Where else to celebrate

If you want all the big park action – and to see Mariah Carey, Loreen, Horse Meat Disco, Bimini and Katy B and more at Preston Park’s Pride On The Park festival – then there are still tickets left for the two-day festival (from £44.55).

The Village Party’s quite a bit different this year and we’re interested to see how it pans out as there’s been quite a lot of opposition to the move from its usual St James Street home to Marine Parade.

It’s an amped-up two-day affair (tickets from £32.94; Saturday tickets still available here) on the wider road with drag and music stages, daytime clubbing courtesy of Revenge, Charles Street and Patterns, plus two new cabaret stages curated by local LGBTQ+ venues. Expect things to get MESSY.

For a more chilled time, obviously you can just wander around the city and get stuck into some Pride fun, but if you prefer something more organised, read on for some of our top picks.

Keep the party going after the parade – Saturday

We’re focusing mostly on our favourite ‘queer all year’ venues here, because we all know there’s a lot of places who just hop on the bandwagon for Pride.

The Actors (ex The Marlborough) has been linked to the LGBTQ+ community since the 70s and it’s always one of our favourite spots to head for a friendly, fun and inclusive night out. This year they’re bringing all the queer carnival energy with a three-day free-entry Pride house party, plus a night of ticketed queer cabaret in their theatre space on Saturday.

Back for the eighth year in a row is Gal Pals’ queer dance party for women, trans, and non-binary people on Saturday (9pm; from £10.50). Expect non-stop female-fronted bangers – making it the ultimate stop-off after the parade.

Nathan X, the UK’s first drag queen drum & bass act, is one of the many acts tearing up the dance floor at Volks nightclub for the Cabarave Pink Pony Club party takeover on Saturday. We love these brilliantly extra parties. Expect oodles of feel-good debauchery and diversity at this legendary all-nighter (11pm; £17.88). 

If cabaret’s more your style, try one of our all-year-round faves, LGBTQ+ institution the Bedford Tavern, aka the Beddy, which has camp disco all day, plus cabaret from Ophelia Payne, The Madame and more from 3.30pm.

Concorde 2 are hosting Brighton’s official Pride after-party, so get ready for a night of legendary post-park partying with Bimini, Joshua James, Spinona Ryder and more taking to the decks. (11pm; £19).

Or head to The Grosvenor Bar for some fabulous drag cabaret – all afternoon and evening (from 4pm; free).

Home of Brighton Gin, The Bottom’s Rest, has got one helluva of a Pride weekender in store and it’s all absolutely free to get in. There’s pre-parade Bloody Marys on Saturday (from 11am) for starters, camp classics and house in the afternoon and on til late and an 80s disco extravaganza on Sunday from midday.

Super-central music venue pub Hope and Ruin is hosting a free all-day Pride party with “bangers from the off” (from midday). We also love that they highlight the fact they’re a safe space for all with approachable staff taking everyone’s safety seriously. We know this should be a given, but sadly, in many places, it’s not (yet).

Over in Kemptown, get your fill of cabaret with a properly jam-packed line-up from Brighton’s best, including Alfie Ordinary and Snow White Trash, at our absolute favourite musical theatre bar, Bar Broadway (Saturday and Sunday; from 3pm; free).

Or wander down to one of Brighton’s most Brightonest pubs, the Hand in Hand, for Greg’s Wedding, a Pride special of 70s and 80s disco dance floor fillers (from 8pm; free).

And if you’re looking for a more chilled celebration, check out the Queery community space in Kemptown for sober hangs, vegan treats, creative fun and chats (Saturday and Sunday; midday – 6pm).

There are too many other places to list, but for good vibes, good drinks, and good times, we’d also recommend Unbarred Brewery‘s all-day free-entry party, Bison Beach Bar at Sea Lanes’ all-dayer, the Star & Garter’s Pride Party and (for a break from the madness), The Independent’s vinyl-only Pride set in Hanover.

What to do on Sunday

If you’re still going strong after Saturday, first of all, we salute you. And if you’re up for continuing the party, you’ve a stronger constitution than us, you can still get tickets to the second day of Pride On The Park (£44.55), with Fatboy Slim, Sugababes, Will Young, Natalie Imbruglia and more playing, or the Sunday Village party.

Or head back to the always-brilliant Bedford Tavern for recovery roasts – and then stay on for the Pride edition of bonkers musical bingo with Snow White Trash at 6pm.

Over on the seafront at Patterns, you’ll find 12 hours of house and disco from some LGBTQ+ spinning legends, including Affy Go Bang and Wildblood & Queenie (3pm – 3am).

For something more low-key, Dukes Lane have got a drag show at midday and 1pm, followed by a performance from the Actually Gay Men’s Chorus at 2pm.

Want to help clear up the inevitable (sadly) mess? Then sign up to the Pride beach clean. There are slots from 7am to 10am, and helping out gets you a free ticket to the Sunday session in the park, so there’s double the incentive to help out!

Alternatively, a beach-side sauna session, a swim at our fabulous beach pool, or a chilled-out yoga class may be just the ticket to end your weekend in a state of bliss. Phew.

Finally, have a happy Pride! Whatever you’re doing, have fun, stay safe, and look after yourself and each other.

Lots of love, Team BOTI x

With contributions from Lucy Sambrook