Brighton Pride 2018: Everything you need to know

With just 50 days to go until Brighton & Hove Pride, it’s time to start planning for the UK’s biggest Pride festival.

Saturday’s festival in Preston Park might have sold-out (you’ve got one Ms. Britney Spears to thank for that), but you can still grab tickets for the Sunday’s star-studded LoveBN1Fest featuring the likes of Nile Rodgers, Jess Glynne and Gabrielle here.

Here’s everything you need to know about the weekend…

Friday 3rd August

Kicking off on Friday 3rd August, the Pride Pleasure Gardens, supported by Malta Tourism Authority, returns to it’s city-centre home for the 3rd year running.

The homegrown talents of Boogaloo Bingo opens proceedings with outfits more outrageous Brighton Pavilion, platforms higher than the i360, corsets more sparkling than a glitterball factory and a tonne of bawdy salty Brighton humour.

Next up, and fresh from their sold out show at Soho Theatre, London’s premier drag king troupe Pecs the all-female/non-binary theatre and cabaret company are storming their way into Brighton Pride with some of their greatest hits. These boys will tease, please and bring you to your knees.

Rounding off the Friday night shenanigans, the Official Pre-Pride Warm Up Party promises a galamour-tastic explosion of pop and commercial dance music from 10pm-2am… and it’s FREE entry! Drag Queens, Drag Kings, Club Kids, live shows and more.

Saturday 4th August

 

As the sun peeps over the horizon on Saturday 4th August, the floats, marching bands, community groups and a bevy of beauties will assemble on Hove Lawns ready for the Pride LGBTQ+ Community Pararde supported by Gatwick Airport.

At 11am on the dot they will sing, dance and sashay their way along the seafront for a crowd of over 300,000 spectators before winding through the city centre and heading up to Preston Park.

At 12 noon the gates to the Pride Festival On The Park will be flung open for 10 hours of the most joyous celebration of Pride, a dazzling display of inclusivity, and just about as much fun as you can have with your clothes on!

The huge main stage will feature headliner Britney: Piece Of Me with her full Vegas show as well as very special perfoemances from Ella Eyre, Pixie Lott, MNEK, Mabel, Louise and many many. But it’s not all about the main stage.

Elsewhere in the park the Legends Cabaret Big Top is the sequinned sensation at the heart of the Brighton Pride Festival in Preston Park with a rich artistes palette of the very best of the UK’s LGBTQ+ cabaret scene. Little Gay Brother will host the Pride Dance Big Top in association with Lynx Unity creating a sexy and safe space for LGBTQ+ revellers to party without prejudice.

The Diva Girls Dance Tent hosts a plethora of the hottest female DJ talent in the UK mixing up the dirtiest most underground deep house and techno with a sprinkling of classic hands in the air dance anthems.

Meanwhile, Brut is back in the Men’s Tent again for its third year! London’s infamous juggernaut of a menonly club for blokes, bears, cubs and hunks will bring their testosterone-packed, masculine stack of furry daddies, chunky cubs, lean lads and man mountains… BRÜT-tastic!

There is also the all new QueerTown Stage, Urban World Dance Tent, Sheila McWattie Women’s Performance Stage, Family Diversity Area, Community Village, Well Being Area, Rotunda Stage Ballroom and more community, charity, food and retail stalls that you can shake a glittered stick at.

Down on the Old Steine, Saturday at the Pride Pleasure Gardens will feature a Queer TakeOver by Calabash, The Marlborough Pub & Theatre, and Traumfrau where you are invited to dance to your favourite DJs, see some sh*t hot acts, and queer up your Pride weekend like you mean it!

Afterwards sees a very special late show as Sink The Pink Presents Ta’Dah, a freaky camptastic, high octane romp through 12 high energy, hair flicking performances. Combining the diverse drag collectives best performances over the last ten years with jaw dropping performance and healthy dose of naughtiness.

Sunday 5th August

For the first time, this year sees a brand new Pride Sunday Festival on Preston Park, LoveBN1Fest, the helping raise extra funds for the Pride Social Impact Fund and bringing all our communities together

LoveBN1Fest will celebrate everything Brighton and Hove and bring all our communities and Rainbow families together for an afternoon of fun on the park (children under 11 are free!).

Headlining the main stage is the legendary Grammy-winning composer, producer, arranger, guitarist Nile Rodgers and his multi-platinum selling band CHIC, as well as Grammy winning number one selling artists Jess Glynne, double BRIT award winner Gabrielle, up and coming star Raye, the amazing House Gospel Choir and many more.

There is also a plethora of family fun and entertainment with the Circus Project, Circo Rum Ba Ba, BubbleJo, Guilty Pleasures Dance Tent, BN1 Love Disco tent, BIMM Live Music Stage and more.

The Pride Pleasure Gardens Sunday starts as always with an invitation to grab your dancing shoes and step our way for an afternoon of LGBTQ+ Community Line Dancing as we dos-àdos together to a rainbow soundtrack of country and western wonders for a proud Stetson filled session.

The the reigns are handed over to London’s The Glory who serve up Wild, Wild, West realness with their Big Gay Barn Dance all day party. A day in 3 pistol-packing parts, first up, get your Dolly Parton look on as The Glory’s very own landlady & drag legend John Sizzle has lassoed her dream team of London’s hottest drag sensations to line-dance, spin country-inspired music and perform live!

Next up we have an Iconic Madonna Cabaret special featuring Madonna’s greatest hits re-worked and reimagined in a Vogue-tastic 2 hour homage to the undisputed Queen of Pop! Finally, we round off the glorious Brighton Pride weekend with an ‘Apocalipstick’ of a queer anthem party! ‘Spice up your life’ and dance to all the gay bangers that have brought joy to our community!