Brighton Pride parade kicks off party weekend

The parade has been bursting with colour in Brighton today

Celebrations for this weekend's Brighton Pride are expected to contribute £22.5m to the local economy.

Girls Aloud and Mika are the headline acts for this year's event, and are due to perform on the main stage at Preston Park on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.

Over 300,000 people are expected to take to the city's streets to participate in and watch the parade on Saturday.

Paul Kemp, managing director of Brighton & Hove Pride, said: “Pride has always been a mix of protest and celebration - Brighton & Hove Pride has a proud mix of both driven by all that is good about our LGBTQ+ communities.”

The theme of this year's festival is "Joy: Celebrating life, spirit, and resilience".

Emma Winder, who is supporting MacMillan horizon centre in Brighton & Hove, said: “We are just showing our solidarity with the community and showing that everyone is welcome at the Horizon centre for support.”

The parade is heading for Preston Park for a music event

The parade departed from Hove Lawns just after 11:00 BST and will make its way to Preston Park for We Are Fabuloso, the official Brighton & Hove Pride charity fundraiser.

A parade float run by Coca-Cola was met by protesters. It pulled out of the parade roughly half way through.

A spokesperson for Coca-Cola Great Britain said: “We respect people’s right to peacefully protest, however, the safety and security of attendees and staff are of highest importance.

"Following an incident at Brighton Pride, we took the decision that the float could not continue to ensure people’s safety.

"We were disappointed not to be able to continue with the parade but we felt the circumstance left us no other option."

All of the ticket revenue raised from Brighton Pride goes towards the running costs of producing the Pride Festival, LGBT Community Parade, Pride Village Party and community fundraising for the Rainbow Fund and Pride social impact fund.

Emma Winder is supporting MacMillan horizon centre in Brighton & Hove

Jeffrey Ellis from Celebration Samba said: "Pride means allowing ourselves to be who you want to be regardless of what society says."

Julie, from the Phoenix Drummers in Newhaven, said: "We love pride, but last year was a wipe out, so we have gone all out this year.

"Love is love. It doesn't matter who or what you are. If you love somebody you love them."

DJ Woody Cook performed in the parade

Mr Kemp said: “I’m proud of our city and the way people join in solidarity and joy with the LGBTQ+ community on the first weekend of August.

“This summer, as we celebrate our diverse communities, we shall continue to press for a world where everyone can live freely and safely, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.“

The parade departed from Hove Lawns to make its way to Preston Park

Extra trains will run to and from the city over the weekend to help people attend Pride events.

Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), which operates Southern, Thameslink and Gatwick Express services to and from Brighton, said it expects stations and trains to be "extremely busy".

Over the weekend, there will be more trains and extra carriages added to services to help people get to and from the city safely.

There will also be a queuing system in place at Brighton station, colour coded depending on the route people need to take.

Other acts appearing at the event over the two days will be Billy Porter, Sophie Ellis-Baxter, S Club, Gabrielle and Bjorn Again.

BBC Radio Sussex's Allison Ferns met three drag queens at the Brighton Pride

South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust urged those attending to plan ahead and stay safe across what is a busy weekend.

The service said they will have a strong presence in the parade, with a specially-wrapped ambulance.

Gully, the Brighton & Hove Albion mascot, was among those taking part in the parade

People are advised to only call 999 in an emergency and make use of NHS 111 for help and advice by phone or online.

Operating Unit Manager for Brighton, Paul Fisher said: "We want people to enjoy the weekend and experience a happy and safe Pride but also remember the impact avoidable 999 calls can have on our services."