BRIGHTON PRIDE & HOVE WEEKEND
photo: Chris Jepson.com
FRIDAY 31ST AUGUST – SUNDAY 2ND SEPTEMBER 2012
With a new steering committee, leading the way and tickets for the event already selling very well, Pride Brighton & Hove is the envy of similar events across the UK. The new organisation is a non-profit community interest company to run Pride for 2012 where all profits will be distributed to LGBT charitable causes. With LGBT values at the heart of the event this year, the theme is ‘United Colours of Pride’ which focuses attention on celebrating diversity, equality and recognising the on-going struggles faced by LGBT communities around the world where discrimination is still a way of life for many.
The annual parade (Saturday 1st September) is one of the most colourful and exciting visual events in the city’s calendar bringing the whole community out to Brighton and Hove’s streets, approximately 100,000 people completely stop the traffic to view the spectacle in all it’s outrageous colour. The parade starts at 11am at the Brighton Wheel, (the newest addition to the historic Madeira Drive) and makes its way through Brighton in true over the top fashion finishing on Preston Park.
Let’s Party ! The celebrations on Preston Park start from midday and end at 8pm, this year it is jam-packed with 11 entertainment areas.
Pop lovers are in for a real treat when multi award winning Revenge club night ‘Girls on Top’ will be hosting the pop tent, which this year will increase its pop party capacity to a massive 3000 for the very first time with amazing Sound & Lighting. Plus some very special surprise DJ’s & PA’s including platinum selling artist Alexandra Burke.
Also highly anticipated is the welcome return of the legendary Wild Fruit Big Top that has been missing from the event for the last 2 years and is one of the main focuses of fun on the site. One of the biggest surprises for Pride goers is the announcement that fresh from his spectacular Amex stadium gigs the international superstar DJ and multi award winning dance institution Fatboy Slim (Norman Cook) is to headline jointly with the Brighton based, Grammy nominated The Freemasons in the Wild Fruit Big Top providing a spectacular show.
Calabash returns to Pride after a break, returning with a stellar line up. Calabash aims to provide an important entertainment space that promotes diversity and inclusivity within the Pride celebrations. It aims brings together a range of local artists that reflects the diversity that exists within our LGBT community. The focus is on urban dance music, anything from bhangra, grime, dub step, RnB to soul and disco. Anything that is funky. Calabash this year will be a collection of DJ’s live artists and a few more surprises. Top class drag artists, like the Dame Edna Experience, will again make the event an amusing and glittery affair, while also returning to the park this year is the Paul Wilde Line Dancing Tent organised by The Cactus Club. Now incorporating Lines and Bears it provides an alternative dance attraction and a place to wear your Stetson. Feel free to join in the fun or watch from the side lines. The Women’s performance tent & the Men’s/ Bears tent are hugely popular focuses for Pride goers and are also an integral parts of the day’s festivities.
Expect some big name PA’s and surprises in all the tents throughout the day. Indeed, there really is something to suit everybody on Preston Park for 2012 with areas and tents to suit all ages and tastes including community stalls and market stalls plus the famous funfair.
The whole site this year is well planned with 100% disabled access and nine separate entrances.
With such a packed day of celebration and community goodwill, the building excitement in the city and across the UK about Brighton Pride is palpable!
Expect even more exciting updates about top artist PA’s and extra details about this monumental event and don’t forget to check the Pride website for all the latest news and gossip about Brighton’s legendary Pride celebrations!